


Criminal Elegance

by Skeleton_Keys



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Agent Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - 1940s, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Blood and Violence, Bloodplay, Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Gang Leader Eren Yeager, Grim Reapers, Gunplay, Guns, Knifeplay, M/M, Major Character Injury, Major Original Character(s), Minor Character Death, OC - Alexander Voncurri, OC - Halt Mantovani, OC - Ivel Everette, OC - Lena Arkenhive, POV Third Person, Painplay, Psychological Torture, S&M, Self-Destruction, Self-Harm, Sexual Tension, Sexual Violence, Smoking, Suicidal Thoughts, Torture, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-03-16 02:44:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13626930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skeleton_Keys/pseuds/Skeleton_Keys
Summary: Secret Agent vs. Criminal GeniusThe year is 1946. Levi Ackerman works for a secret government agency created after WW2 to kept the worst of American criminals off the streets. Levi and his partner, Lena Arkenhive (OC) are the best agents the Survey Corps has so naturally they are assigned to catch the most wanted criminal in Hell's Kitchen: Eren Jaeger.[Also posted on wattpad]





	1. Smokes and Fedoras

**[Levi's POV]**   
  


"Eyes on the prize, Ackerman. Eyes on the prize."

I scoffed and took the folder my partner had shoved into my arms as we made our way down the hallway. "What exactly  _is_  the prize?"

My partner, Lena Arkenhive, pushed open the door to the interrogation room. Her eyes were filled with mischief as she gestured me inside. My eyes fell upon a pair of familiar green eyes with the owner chained to the table. I smirked.

Lena closed the door behind us and handed me a baton. "Jaeger." She stated as an answer to my previous inquiry.

I smirked.  _"Finally."_

_~Three Months Prior~_

I leaned back in my chair and put my legs up on the desk while I sipped my tea. The day had been fairly tolerable until my partner, Lena, dropped a file cabinet drawer on my desk then proceeded to dramatically sift through it until she found the particular folder she was looking for and threw it into my lap.

"I haven't even finished my tea." I snapped and tossed the folder back at her. "You know not to bitch at me with sassy and overdramatized actions until I at  _least_ finish my tea."

Lena folded her arms across her chest. "This is important."

"How important?"

"Boss requires us in the conference room  _now_ , important." She tossed the folder back into my lap. "Brief yourself."

She started to walk away and I sighed. "At least put the file cabinet back!"

She ignored me and gathered her things from her own desk. I rolled my eyes and flipped through the file, a photograph catching my eye. The photo was of a green eyed, brown haired boy. He looked young, perhaps in his early twenties. I read over his file, we didn't have much on the kid other than that he was the leader of the most active gang in Hells Kitchen, the Titans. I sighed, I'd assumed Lena and I would be put on the Titan's case sooner or later as we were the best agents in the Survey Corps.

I finished my tea and stood up, folder in hand, and made my way toward the briefing room with Lena. "Think we'll finally get a break from The Reaper?" I asked, referring to the case my partner and I were currently investigating.

Lena scoffed. "Hope so, I'm getting tired of chasing around that illusive little shit."

We pushed the doors open and joined Erwin in the briefing room. Erwin was the head of the Survey Corps and my personal friend. We'd grown close over the three years I'd worked here. We used to be partners before Lena came along and Erwin received a promotion two years prior.

I sat down across from him at our meeting table with Lena next to me. We were the only ones here besides a petite blond...boy? I couldn't tell.

Erwin nodded to us. "Agents Ackerman, Arkenhive. I've got a proposition for you."

"You want to put us on the Titan case, right?" Lena tapped the folder in front of me.

Erwin lit a cigar and leaned back in his chair. "I do. This," he gestured to the blond. "is Armin Arlert. He's one of Jaeger's two most trusted and he's come to us with information in exchange for a pardon."

I studied the kid. He seemed like a weakling, not the type of person I'd expect to be second in command of the city's most infamous gang. However, something in the kid's eyes unnerved me. He looked at us as if he was able to look straight through us, to see who and what we really were. I had no doubt this kid's value came from his intelligence rather than brute strength.

"Information?" Lena questioned. "He simply decided to betray the Titans  _just like that?"_

"I've noticed your agency closing in." The boy spoke up. "I was only with the Titans for protection, Jaeger was a friend from childhood so I really had no where else to go after I lost my parents. I...wanted to leave before shit hit the fan. I just want to live."

I narrowed my eyes and turned back to Erwin. "So what info has he spilled?"

"He won't give us locations or names." Erwin explained. "But he's given us a time and place where the gang will be receiving a delivery, most likely heroin. Arlert says Jaeger will be there personally to pick it up. It's the perfect time to strike. If we can arrest Jaeger then it should be a walk in the park to round up the rest of the gang. We can put a stop to the Titans in a single night."

"And if it's a trap?"

Erwin smirked. "It most likely is." He glanced at Armin then back at me. "That's why I'm sending you two."

"Hm." Lena smirked. "You sure we don't want to try to get any more info out of this one while we got him?"

"I'm sure." Erwin put out his cigar. "This is all we need for now. Once you catch Jaeger we can grill  _him_."

Lena nodded and shifted her gaze to me, raising an eyebrow in question. "We takin' it?"

I was never one to step down from a challenge. I nodded. "Yeah, we'll take it."

Erwin smiled and gathered up his papers. "Good. The drop happens in Maria Warehouse at midnight tomorrow. Good luck to you both."

And with that, he was gone, taking Armin Arlert with him. I turned my chair to face Lena. "This is definitely a trap."

She smirked. "It'd be no fun if it was wasn't, Ackerman. Now get your ass up. We've got planning to do."

**[Eren's POV]**

Mikasa strode down the stairs and into what we called the 'Den' of the Titan's underground lair. "They bought it." She informed me. "Hook, line, and sinker. They even let Armin go."

I smiled, reloading my gun and pointing it at the picture of the particularly intriguing, raven haired agent I had pinned to the wall. "Perfect. Go set the trap."

Mikasa bowed slightly before leaving again. I smirked, my finger steady on the trigger of my pistol. "I can't wait to finally meet you, Agent Ackerman." I laughed and pulled the trigger, hitting the man perfectly in the center of his forehead. "We're going to have  _so much fun together."_

 


	2. Take Him Out

**[Levi]**

Lena threw herself onto Levi's coffee table effectively destroying any semblance of order he'd put the files on The Titans in. "What kind of guns do you think they'll have?"

Levi growled. "Nothing too fancy. Now, do you mind?"

Lena ignored him, naturally, and continued to throw out her theories on how the Titans planned to trap and kill the two agents. "Perhaps they'll seduce you!"

Levi pulled his gun out of it's holster which rested against the side of his chest and made sure the safety was on before placing the gun against Lena's side. "Off my damn coffee table."

Lena whined but rolled off anyways. "You shouldn't play with that, you know. You might accidentally shoot me one day."

Levi holstered the gun. "Wouldn't that be a shame." He clicked his tongue. "And why is it just me they'll be seducing?"

Lena sat back down next to him on the couch. "Because I'm the  _seducer_  not the seduce-y."

"That's not even a word." Levi rolled his eyes. After two years of working together he'd gotten used to Lena's abrupt, blunt, and  _constantly_  horny nature. She tended to speak her mind and always knew exactly what to say to shut up those around her. It was rumored that she had a whole blackmail scheme in place. Apparently she knew the sexual preferences of every man in the agency and she used this information to force them to one, go along with her whims, schemes, and reckless plans, and two, respect all the women working there. Apparently Levi's colleagues had some pretty kinky secrets.

He'd once asked one of Lena's victims how she knew everyone's kinks but the man just shook his head and claimed he had no idea, assuring Levi that they hadn't slept together.

Levi didn't have the courage to ask Lena about it. He didn't want her looking into  _his_  preferences. He doubted his kinks were a big deal, however she'd discover that he was into men and that could present a problem. It wasn't safe for anyone to know and though Levi had caught Lena occasionally shamelessly flirting with some of the secretaries, he couldn't be sure he could trust her with something so intimate.

"Maybe they'll have a elaborate web of string like spiders." Lena proposed, lying down on the couch and throwing her legs onto Levi's lap. "And we won't notice it until we're in the middle! Ooooo~or maybe they'll have a tank!"

"They won't have a tank." Levi sighed, reading through the few folders they had. He'd arrested some of the lower ranking members of The Titans before but their information was outdated and useless. The Agency had practically nothing on the higher members, just some faces and a few names.

"An airplane?"

"Lena, please. I'm trying to focus."

Lena sighed. "Fine, I'll be serious. What if they blow us up? With grenades and shit."

"Then we die." Levi ran into Eren Jaeger's file again and scanned it as if new information would just appear. "They'll probably just try to shoot us, maybe with a sniper from behind. Nothing we can't handle."

Lena nodded. The two were both light on their feet, flexible, strong, and a perfect shot. Lena was also perfectly in tune with her surroundings and her early warnings had saved Levi's life on more than one occasion. They made a perfect team, virtually unstoppable. They hadn't faced a single case they couldn't solve or a single enemy they couldn't subdue.

"We should get some rest before tonight." Lena said and maneuvered herself upright. "Staring at those files till your eyes bleed won't make you any more prepared."

Levi nodded, setting the folder down. "You're right."

"You go lie down, I'll take the couch." Lena said and he stood.

"Fine, wake me in an hour." Levi made his way into his room barely catching her saying, " _I'll wake you in three."_

Levi collapsed on his bed, removing his holster and setting it on his nightstand. He sighed. "Hopefully I'll get some sleep." He muttered to himself and closed his eyes.

* * *

It was quarter till midnight and Lena and Levi were perched on a catwalk hugging the walls of Maria warehouse. Both of them wore dark suits and trench coats, their outfits littered with weapons. Lena always wore a suit on the job, one of the perks of her having all of her superiors wrapped around her finger. She'd refused to wear a skirt and heels saying it "wouldn't suit her" and claimed that women's pantsuits were too uncomfortable for field work. Not that men's suits were any better but no one had argued with her.

"See anything?" She asked since Levi was the one with the binoculars watching through the window.

"Not yet." He mumbled, scanning the perimeter again. "Are you sure we'll be able to see them from here?"

"We can see both entrances from here. The only way they'll catch us off guard is if they come through the roof." Lena assured him.

Levi readjusted himself and continued looking, waiting patiently for something to happen. "Will a drug crime be enough?" He asked.

Lena shrugged. "Who knows but it's all we can pin on him. We've got nothing if we don't catch him with that heroin tonight, unless you want to let him murder one of us."

"How has that fucker evaded us for so long?" Levi muttered and handed the binoculars over to Lena. "Okay, your turn."

"He's smart." Lena took the binoculars and began looking. "Wait...I see something."

Levi strained his eyes trying to see what she saw.

"It's a car." She said. "It's him, alright. Get ready."

Levi pulled his gun from it's holster, flicked the safety off and adjusting to watch the doorway from the inside. He heard a car stop and doors slam shut.

"They're late." An irritated voice said from the doorway and Levi's breath caught in his throat. "We should start looking for other business partners. These jackasses keep putting us at risk."

Then Levi saw him. Eren Jaeger, flanked by two security guards and entering the building with confidence. His brown hair was slicked back but his bright green eyes were unmistakable. He wore a black suit, most likely packing. Behind him was a female, black hair and grey eyes. Levi recognized her as the Titan's assassin, Mikasa Ackerman. The Agency had several murders on her but they'd never been able to catch her.

Jaeger, on the other hand, was completely clean. Lena and Levi couldn't make a move against him until the drugs were in the building.

Levi heard a truck and nodded toward Lena, splitting up. Levi moved so that he was stationed right behind Jaeger and Lena moved to where the dealers would be entering. Her eyes widened when she saw the group from the front and desperately gestured to Levi to abort. Levi didn't know what she saw but he trusted her enough to listen.

Levi looked around for an escape while two men dragged a crate in and opened it. That's when he finally saw what Lena had.

The Titans were putting on gas masks.

Levi ran for the window as a cloud of gas was released into the air. He lost track of his partner and tried to hold his breath. He heard a gunshot and grunted, feeling a bullet pierce his right leg. He fell to his knees, inhaling sharply and collapsed on the catwalk.

"Sh-shit."

* * *

 

Levi struggled to open his eyes, groaning when he felt his wrists tied together behind his back with rope and his ankles tied to the legs of the chair he'd been propped up on.

His trench coat had been discarded and his holster was empty. He'd been stripped of all weapons, even the small razor he kept in his sleeve for situations just like this.

As the initial shock of waking up wore off he began to feel the gunshot wound in his leg and cursed. He'd been losing a lot of blood despite the fact that the wound had been wrapped up in what looked like a handkerchief. He wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon unless he planned to crawl or limp there. Without the ability to run he was fucked.

Levi looked up and realized he was not alone. Standing in front of him, playing with  _his_  gun, was Eren Jaeger. Levi scanned his surroundings. It was just the two of them in the warehouse.

"It's a nice piece." Jaeger commented, testing the weight of the gun. "Government issued?"

"Where's my partner?" Levi snapped, ignoring Eren's attempt at  _small talk._

"The bitch got away. She left you behind." Jaeger smiled and turned Levi's gun on him. He didn't flinch. "How does it feel to be abandoned?"

"Amazing." Levi deadpanned. "Rather she live than we both die."

"Ah, so loyalty truly is dead among you people." Jaeger sighed. "Shame."

"As if you have a loyal bone in your body,  _Titan_." Levi snarled.

Jaeger laughed and moved closer so that he could press the gun against Levi's forehead. Levi was comforted only by the fact that Jaeger hadn't taken the safety off yet and his finger was no where near the trigger. "My loyalty to my men is the reason you're here,  _detective_."

Now Levi was confused. "What the hell do you mean?"

"You keep arresting my lower members. I took notice." Jaeger explained.

"Oh, did you?" Levi smirked. "Well, if you don't want your lackeys to get arrested then maybe you should recruit more capable men."

It wasn't smart for Levi to run his mouth, he was in no position to do so. The kid could take the safety off and shoot him at any second. Despite the danger, he couldn't keep his mouth shut. His adrenaline spiked every time Jaeger moved and his smug grin elicited recklessness out of Levi. To be silent was a surrender and Levi never surrendered.

"I suppose you have a point." Jaeger conceded and moved the gun down until it was resting against Levi lips. "Unfortunately, for you, you've already caught my attention. They say you've never lost a case."

"That's true." Levi spoke, his lips brushing against the barrel of the gun.

"I have a proposition for you, detective." Jaeger smirked and pushed the gun past Levi's lips and into his mouth. Levi's eyes widened but he allowed the intrusion after receiving a warning glare from Jaeger. He had no choice but to go along with this if he didn't fancy his head being blown off.

Jaeger pushed the gun to the back of Levi's throat and he gagged, breathing heavily through his nose and glaring at the man in front of him.

Jaeger flicked the safety off while carefully watching Levi's reaction. Levi's flashed with uncertainty then an unreadable emotion. "Your Agency doesn't have shit on me." He smirked. "If you can find something, you could put me away but until then you can't touch me." He paused, placing a knee between Levi's legs so he could lean closer and maneuvering the gun so it brushed against Levi's tongue. "And I  _so_ want you to touch me."

_What the hell is he playing at?_

Levi grunted, indicating that he wanted to speak. Jaeger reluctantly pulled the gun from his mouth and Levi coughed, spitting on Jaeger's shoes. "Are you challenging me?"

Jaeger laughed and pressed the gun against Levi's forehead once again. "I am. Are you up for it, Agent Ackerman?"

Levi glared up into Jaeger's piercing green eyes, both alight with desire and madness. He was getting off on this.

"Fine," Levi spoke smoothly, recovering from what had just been done to him. "I'll play your game, Eren Jaeger, but don't be surprised when it's  _you_  who ends up on  _this_  side of the gun."

Jaeger smirked and leaned close enough to barely brush his lips against Levi's. "Oh, believe me, I won't have to be."

He pulled away, flicking the safty back on and placing the gun in it's holster. Levi felt sick knowing Jaeger had used  _his_ gun to do what he did. Now he'd always have it with him as a reminder. Levi wondered if Jaeger had planned it that way.

Jaeger pulled a knife from his suit jacket and walked behind Levi, slicing through the ropes at his wrists. Levi's hands immediately flew to his legs, untying them while Jaeger leisurely walked back to stand in front of him.

"You're free to go." He said and tossed Levi his trench coat. Levi caught it and stood on shaky legs, ignoring the pain from his left shin. "Don't disappoint me, Detective."

He strode away, twirling the knife in his hand.

"Trust me," Levi smirked and began limping the other way. "I won't."

 


	3. Isolation

**[Levi]**   
  


Levi finished organizing the information he had on Jaeger on the left wall of his bedroom. He would probably regret putting it in his room but at the moment his alcohol fueled brain didn't care.

It was dawn now and Levi hadn't slept a wink. As soon as he'd gotten home from the bar he'd lit a cigar and raided his personal stash of alcohol. He'd brought the files into his room and dumped them on the bed so he could create a visual representation of his investigation.

He vaguely remembered Erwin telling him  _not_ to do this but Levi couldn't help himself. When he got a difficult or intriguing case he poured his mind, body, and soul into it. He often stopped eating and sleeping, devoting all of his brain power to the investigation. He isolated himself, unable to think of anything but the case. It wasn't healthy and his actions usually sent his partner and his friends into a state of frustration at the lack of care Levi had for his own health.

They'd once had to restrain him and force him to rest with the use of drugs that would put him to sleep.

Levi rolled his eyes. His methods may be unhealthy, borderline dangerous even, but they were effective.

Levi needed to be effective. He needed to put everything he had into this, even if it got him killed. He  _needed_  to win. He wanted Eren Jaeger to eat his words. He wanted to put a gun to  _his_ forehead and make sure he knew who had beaten him before he was sentenced.

Levi sat on his bed, taking the last drag of his cigar before throwing it away. The next few weeks were going to be the most intense of his life. Levi opened one of the unsolved cases folders and began reading.

* * *

Levi jerked to attention when the door to his apartment was slammed open. "The FUCK Ackerman?!"

Ah, so Lena noticed the files were gone.

Levi sighed. "Bedroom!" He called and she stormed in, glaring at him then at his wall.

"You can't just take the files, Levi. I'm on this case too! Don't tell me you're pulling that bullshit where you shut me out and try to solve this on your own!" Lena shouted.

"I'm pulling that bullshit." Levi responded coldly. "Now get out. I need to focus."

Lena was furious. "No." she snarled. "We're partners, I have claim to this case and I'm not leaving you alone here to work yourself to death!"

"Don't pretend that you care about my wellbeing." Levi growled.

"But I do!" Lena argued. "I know that you like to convince yourself that everyone hates you when you get like this but we  _don't,_ Levi. We really don't."

"I know you don't hate me..." Levi sighed. "It's just easier to work alone."

"Are you sure?" Lena looked concerned and Levi felt bad for pushing her away but he couldn't let her get near this. He couldn't let anyone get near this. Jaeger had challenged  _him,_ not the Agency and not his partner. This case was for Levi to solve alone and he intended to do just that.

"Yes." Levi answered and Lena sighed.

"Fine, but I'm bringing you some food and if you don't sleep we're going to drug you again." Lena warned and left the apartment.

Levi turned his attention back to the files. Today he'd look into the information. Tomorrow he would go out into the streets. He needed to find their base of operations. If he knew where that was he could trail Jaeger and wait for him to make a mistake...or even  _cause_  Jaeger to make a mistake. He might even find evidence in the hideout itself.

All Levi needed was evidence. A witness or two wouldn't hurt either. He could do this, he was trained for it after all.

* * *

It had been three days. Levi had slept a total of 8 hours and had only eaten when Lena brought take-out to his apartment.

He slid into his desk chair and leaned his head back, breathing deeply. Normally, Levi would've stayed home to work but his apartment was starting to feel suffocating so he left. Levi could feel his co-worker's eyes on him and did his best to ignore them.

"Levi," Erwin smiled and stood in front of Levi's desk. "Glad to see you're alive."

"Tch, I don't need your sarcasm, boss." Levi growled while organizing his desk.

"And I don't need Lena coming to my house at three in the morning demanding that I do something about...this." He gestured to Levi.

Levi laughed. "Three in the morning?"

"She's completely mad. I swear she doesn't sleep." Erwin laughed. "But seriously, Levi. You need to take care of yourself."

"I'm taking care of myself just fine." Levi said. "By the way, I need some new equipment, I'm going to try and find the Titan's hideout."

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "They're super careful and extremely protective of the place. Are you sure you don't want any help? I highly doubt you'll be able to find it alone and Lena's been dying of boredom."

Levi rolled his eyes. "I have to do this alone, Erwin. Please just go back to your office."

"At least talk to Lena."

"You talk to her since she ends up at your house at three in the morning." Levi smirked.

"Whatever you're implying, forget it." Erwin shook his head. "I don't fuck my subordinates."

"I didn't say anything." Levi laughed. "But if that's where your mind went then maybe you should reevaluate your ideals."

Erwin scoffed and left Levi's desk in a huff. Levi watched him go, shaking his head.

"LEEEEEEVI!"

Levi cringed and turned to glare at the figure in front of him. Hanji thrust a cup of tea towards him and smiled. "Got you your tea!"

Levi reluctantly took the cup. "This isn't drugged, is it?"

Hanji laughed and sat on Levi's desk. "Nope! Just a conversation starter! How've you been? Working  _very hard_  on the Jaeger case, I see."

"It's not just Jaeger." I snapped. "It's the Titans as a whole."

"Who are led by Jaeger."

"Yeah, well, duh. Your point?"

Hanji grinned. "No point, just sayyyying~" they let the sentence hang which irritated Levi. He knew they loved to tease him but he didn't want the information of what happened with Jaeger to leave the bar.

"Don't talk about  _that_  here." Levi warned in a hushed tone.

Hanji rolled their eyes. "Nobody's paying attention, Levi, relax. They all think I'm crazy anyways."

Levi sipped his tea. "Whatever. Just get back to work, Shitty Glasses."

"Fine but I'm taking you out to dinner tomorrow, got it?" Hanji pointed a finger at him and got off his desk. "I won't take no for an answer!"

Levi sighed as they left and opened up his notebook. He'd written down every relevant detail in the notebook so he could try to make sense of it all, piece together a puzzle without all the pieces. He wasn't doing very well so far, despite working nonstop for days.

He'd managed to solve one of the cold cases and had given his conclusion to Erwin the day before. Unfortunately, the case did not connect to the Titans at all.

Levi's ears burned. He heard every scratch of a pencil, every groan and sigh, every shift of weight, and every sip of coffee. Someone even had the gall to start tapping their foot. When Levi had thrown a crumpled up piece of paper at them he saw that it had been Eld.

Levi sighed and gathered up his papers. He couldn't work here, there was too much noise, too many distractions. He moved to the vacant conference room, waving to Erwin as he passed his office.

Levi settled down in one of the chairs and began to work only stopping every two hours to get a new cup of tea and use the restroom.

By the end of the day he'd broken two pencils, left the box of tea bags empty, and was out of cigars.

Levi left the building at exactly 9 p.m. He ignored the worried looks from his colleagues as he resigned himself to another all nighter. He got into his car, put his brief case under the seat, and drove to a local convenience store. If he'd been in a healthier state of mind, perhaps he would've noticed someone following him.

Levi locked his car and walked inside the convenience store he'd stopped at. He grabbed two boxes of cigars and a tub of coffee beans. It was about time he used something stronger than tea.

The cashier scoffed at his choice of items. "Looks like you're having a rough time, buddy. You don't look too good either."

Levi nodded, currently detesting this interaction. "Yeah."

"Seems like you need some of this." The man grabbed a bottle of red wine from behind the counter. "I'll add it, free of charge."

"Thanks." Levi handed over the money for the cigars and coffee. "Have a good night."

The man smiled and bagged the items. "You too." He handed Levi the bag and Levi left the store.

Once in his car he immediately lit a cigar to smoke on his way home. Levi sighed, taking a drag of the cigar and rolling down his window. "Damn it." He muttered to himself. "Damn this case."

Once back in his apartment Levi opened the bottle of wine and poured himself a drink. Normally, Levi wouldn't settle for such cheap alcohol but right now he couldn't bring himself to give a damn.

Levi took the glass with him to his room and shrugged off his suit jacket. He sat down on his bed, sipping his wine and staring at his bedroom wall. No connections had been made. No progress. Nothing.

Levi scowled at the wall and finished his glass of wine.

"Damn it!" He shouted and threw his glass at the wall, satisfied to hear it shatter, glass falling to the floor.

 _I'm worthless!_ Levi thought.  _It's been four days and I've come up with nothing!_

Levi ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath to calm himself. He heard his apartment door open and sighed. "Lena?" He called.

There was no response.

"Hanji?" He tried.

Still nothing.

"Erwin?"

Nada.

He heard footsteps approaching his door and pulled out his gun. The door opened and Levi aimed the gun and none other then Eren fucking Jaeger.

"Get out." Levi ordered harshly. "Get out of my house."

Jaeger scanned the room, smirking when his eyes met the wall. "That's very impressive."

"Why the hell are you here?" Levi snapped. "How did you find me?"

Jaeger turned his attention back to the raven haired detective. "Naturally, I followed you here."

"Why?" Levi cocked his gun and flicked the safety off.

"I missed you." Jaeger purred. "And I wanted to check your progress." He clicked his tongue. "You don't seem to be doing too well."

"Tch." Levi narrowed his eyes. "It was stupid of you to come here. I could shoot you right now, claim self defense."

In response, Jaeger smiled and took four steps towards Levi so that his forehead was pressed against the barrel of Levi's gun. "Shoot me then."

"What?" Levi's eyes widened slightly. This had to be some sort of trick. Jaeger was playing mind games now but despite knowing that, Levi couldn't understand the man's motives.

"Shoot me." Jaeger repeated. "There aren't any witnesses and if you wanted this to be completely clean I'm sure you could find a way to dispose of me so you'd never be caught. Shoot me. Kill me. End my life. End the Titan's with one swift move. Just pull the trigger and it'll all be over."

"What the hell are you saying, you suicidal bastard!" Levi snapped. "You really think I'll kill you right here and now? Are you betting your life that I won't? Because I will if you don't shut your mouth!"

Jaeger laughed. "No, you won't."

"Really?" Levi glared at Jaeger, steadying the hand holding the gun. "Why won't I?"

"Because," Jaeger smirked. "You've never killed a man."

Levi let his arm drop, his gun falling to the floor. He was in shock and for a moment the two just stayed there, staring at each other, until Jaeger spoke up.

"It's quite impressive, I must say." Jaeger straighten up. "In your line of work, having blood on your hands is more than common. Tell me, why haven't you killed?"

Levi's eyes widened. "How...how did you know?"

"Oh, I have your files." Jaeger shrugged indifferently. "I know everything about your life as a cop then as an agent."

"But how-"

"I own this city, Detective." Eren chucked. "It was all too easy to obtain your records. Now, answer my question. Why haven't you killed?"

"I believe in justice!" Levi asserted. "Every person I arrest is innocent, under the law, until they are convicted during trial. I do not kill the innocent. It's not my place to take the life of another person. I refuse to play god."

Jaeger seemed to be rendered speechless.

Levi sighed and picked up his gun. He turned the safety back on before holstering it. He wouldn't be killing Eren Jaeger tonight.

"How selfish of you." Jaeger finally spoke. Levi looked up angrily.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're a coward." Jaeger surmised.

"It is not cowardice to refuse to take a life!" Levi argued, standing up so he could face Jaeger.

"I doubt your intentions are as pure as you say." Jaeger cocked his head to the side. "I believe you won't kill because  _you_ couldn't bare to have blood on your hands. You've never stopped your partner from killing. You'll stand and watch as she takes lives. As long as the blood is on  _her_  hands you can continue to claim purity when in fact," Jaeger leaned closer so he could whisper in Levi's ear. "your blood is as black as mine."

Levi shoved the gang leader away. "Lies." He spat. "I've tried to stop Lena before, sometimes it's the only option! I'm nothing like you. You kill and exploit the innocent. Don't you  _dare_  compare your sins to mine!"

Jaeger shrugged. "Whatever, you can continue to believe whatever you need to to sleep at night. I have no need for such disassociation. I know what I am and I know what I've done. I face myself everyday with the weight of my crimes on my shoulders. Only cowards feel the need to lie to themselves."

"I'm not lying to myself." Levi argued. "I truly believe in everything I've said. I value human life and if that makes me a coward the so be it! I'd rather be a coward than a killer."

"I see." Jaeger nodded. "I suppose I'll be off then, unless you've changed your mind about killing me...?"

"Is that why you came here? To poke holes in my morals, to torment me with twisted words and assumptions concerning by character?" Levi inquired.

Jaeger smirked. "That was not my original intent, originally I just wanted to hear your reasonings as to why you've never killed. My deduction concerning your character came up quite randomly during our discussion."

"Why me?" Levi asked suddenly, catching Jaeger off guard.

"Because," Jaeger reached his hand out, stopping right before he would brush against Levi's cheek. "I feel a connection to you, it's like I'm inexplicably drawn to you. I can't explain it but you intrigue me...I want to understand you, Detective Ackerman."

Levi scoffed and slapped Jaeger's hand away. "Do you really think I'd fall for that bullshit?"

Jaeger shrugged again. "Ah, well, it was worth a shot. Goodnight, detective. We will meet again. Don't try to follow me."

Jaeger left and Levi stood frozen until he heard the apartment door shut. He considered following Jaeger but decided to heed his warning. He was in no state to go chasing after him.

Levi sat down on his bed, shaking slightly after the encounter. He clenched his fists. "Damn you, Jaeger." He spat.

_He's trying to get into my head._

_"I feel a connection to you...it's like I'm inexplicably drawn to you."_

"Damn him." Levi muttered again.

_"Ah,_ _well,_ _it was worth a shot."_

He succeeded.

 


	4. Wingless Raven

**[Levi]**   
  


Levi walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. His partner picked up after four rings. "Lena?"

"Yes, Mr. I don't need your help to solve this case?"

Great, she was pissed. "I need to move in with you. My place has been compromised."

Lena sucked in a breath. "Oh, sorry! Letting you move in would technically be helping and you don't want me to do that so I'll have to decline."

Levi scowled. "Come on, Lena, don't be like that. This is serious."

"Don't be like what, Levi?" Lena prompted.

"Don't be a bitch."

Lena laughed. "Ah, there it is. Well, Levi, I'm only being a  _bitch_  to you because you've been a  _dick_  to me! I'm already dealing with one unwelcome guest, I don't need two. Find someone else to take your shitty ass in. Call me when you're ready to work with me."

"You're acting like a child!" Levi called before she could hang up.

"I've heard that one before, Mr. Hypocrite. Have a nice evening!" Lena hung up and Levi growled. He slammed the phone down before picking it up again and putting in a new number.

"Hanji."

"Levi! My favorite boy! How've you been? Is this about dinner tomorrow because I planned to pick you up-"

"Can I move in with you for a bit? My place is compromised." Levi cut them off.

Hanji paused. "Uhhhh I guess. How's your apartment compromised?"

Levi sighed knowing he'd have to tell them Jaeger had been there. He was suddenly very glad Hanji had become his second go to. It would have been very bad if he'd called Erwin. He didn't need his boss knowing that he was essentially playing a game of catch-me-if-you-can with the leader of the Titans.

"Eren Jaeger followed me home." Levi said and pulled out a cigar from the pack he'd left on the kitchen counter. He lit it and put it to his lips.

"WHAT?! What happened? Are you hurt?!" Hanji exclaimed.

"No, I'm fine." Levi assured them. "He just talked to me. Called me a coward for never having killed anybody. Prick."

Hanji chuckled lightly.

"This isn't fucking funny, four eyes. Anyways I'll be over in an hour. Don't tell Erwin about this."

"Roger that!" Hanji giggled. "See you soon!"

Levi sighed and made his way back to his room. He decided he could still spend the majority of his time here and just sleep at Hanji's place. He couldn't investigate properly with them around. Levi packed up a small bag of clothes and left his apartment.

He decided to try and get some sleep tonight, if he kept himself awake for  _too_  long then his mind would start to slip and he wouldn't be good for anything. Jaeger's words followed him all the way to Hanji's building, haunting his thoughts and provoking him to take action.

Now, not only was Levi hellbent on catching the bastard, he was hellbent on doing it without killing a single person.

Levi briefly wondered how many lives Jaeger himself had taken. He had his own personal assassin so surely he didn't dirty his hands too often. Levi wondered if Jaeger enjoyed killing...he'd certainly enjoying threatening Levi's life in the warehouse.

Levi parked and pulled his bag out of the car, checking his surroundings. He wouldn't be letting his guard down again any time soon. He trudged up the stairs to Hanji's floor and knocked on their door. He heard two voices inside. It sounded like they were arguing.

Sighing, Levi pulled the spare key out of his pocket and unlocked the door himself. He stepped inside to find Hanji and Moblit arguing in the kitchen, a folder and several crime scene photos strewn across the table.

Levi walked over to study the pictures, ignoring the two.

"Levi," Hanji huffed, placing their hands on their hips. They were dressed in a red, v-neck and slacks with their hair up in a messy bun. "would you analyze this for us and tell us what you think?"

They threw a photo down in front of Levi and he took it in his hands to study it.

"We don't need to involve him, I'm sure he's busy with his own case!" Moblit growled.

Hanji glared at him. "This used to be  _his_ case! His opinion could prove to be invaluable."

Levi took in the scene in the photo. A body lay limp on the ground, clearly drained of blood, the trailing of it down the man's body indicated that he was most likely hung upside down before being cut open.  The body wasn't the central point of the photo though, the writing on the wall behind it was. Written in what was presumably the victim's blood was the message:  _"Ignoring me, mon petit démon?"_

"Oh, this is The Reaper's nickname for Lena. 'S French; means 'my Little Demon'. The Reaper likes to nickname her pursuers. She calls me ' _Corbeau Sans Ailed_ ' which means 'Raven/Crow Without Wings' or 'Wingless Raven' as she says in English." Levi explained, almost missing when he and Lena had been chasing the serial killer. "This must've been done in retaliation to us dropping her case. Feel free to bring Lena on if you need her. I'll be in the guest room."

Hanji nodded, smirking smugly at Moblit. "Thanks, Levi!"

Levi hummed in response and threw his bag down on the bed. He closed the door to change, undressing slowly while his brain analyzed the photo he'd seen. He pushed the thoughts away, that wasn't his case anymore. He needed to focus on Jaeger.

Unfortunately, focusing on Jaeger meant focusing on the conversation he'd had with the man just under an hour ago. Levi couldn't figure out the man's angle. He hadn't changed Levi's mind concerning the value of human life. He'd just gone, gotten a rise out of him, then left again.

Was the visit simply to confirm whether or not Levi was willing to kill him outside the restrictions of the law? Levi certainly could have and, just as Jaeger had said, could've covered it up without a problem. It was a risky move if that had been his goal.

Despite the fact that Jaeger said he was only there to learn Levi's reasonings behind never having taken a life, Levi couldn't shake the feeling that he had other intentions.

Levi sat on the edge of the bed, now suitably dressed in nightwear. He picked up his gun and began disassembling it. He often did this when he felt stressed, it helped him to relax. He would take the weapon apart then put it back together. He would ground himself in the knowledge that, while he had been given the power to kill swiftly and efficiently, he had control over that power. The gun did not control Levi, Levi controlled the gun.

He used this metaphor to calm himself when he felt out of control, whether his control had been lost to circumstances or emotions didn't make a difference. It worked in both instances.

"Yes, Ms. Arkenhive? This is Hanji Zoe. My partner and I are having some trouble with the Reaper case and we're wondering if you'd like to come and assist us since you don't really have anything else to do."

Levi groaned. Knowing Lena, she's insist on coming over immediately. His partner was probably bored out of her mind. He couldn't help but notice that she got off on some aspect of solving crime. No matter how messy it got, Lena was always ready to fight. Denying her access to her addiction was probably what upset her the most about when Levi shut her out. She should know by now that it wasn't because he doubted her abilities.

"Yes, that's fine. See you soon!"

Levi finished reassembling his firearm and placed it on the nightstand. He stood up and walked out of the bedroom. "Hanji, do you have something that will put me to sleep?" He asked once he reached the kitchen again. The last thing he wanted was to be conscious when his partner got there.

Hanji nodded and left to go fetch something. Levi didn't care what they gave him, as long as it did the job. He looked over the photos again while they were gone, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"It's funny..." Moblit muttered. "Did you ever notice that every victim that manages to survive dies the next day?"

Levi grunted. "Of course we noticed that. We aren't armatures."

"Do you know why?"

Levi shrugged. "Guess it was just their time. Maybe the Reaper's psychic and only kills those who are close to their live's natural end? Who knows."

"I don't believe in psychics." Moblit frowned.

"Me either." Levi responded as Hanji walked back in.

"Here you go! Should knock you out in about twenty/thirty minutes!" They handed him a pill.

Levi thanked them and dry swallowed it, heading back to the guest room. Levi closed the door behind him and lied down, stripping himself of his shirt. Levi eyed the gun on his nightstand and picked it up again.

It had become part of his nightly routine at this point. He would pressed the gun against his lips, his mind instantly jerking him back to that night in the warehouse. Levi had been trying desperately to discern the feeling it gave him only now recognizing it after being in contact with the criminal again.

The feeling was lust.

Levi put the gun down, shame pooling in his gut along with arousal.

He convinced himself that that didn't make it worse.

What man got off to having his life threatened?

Levi would call himself disgusting but he'd been down that road before concerning his sexual preferences and was determined never to put himself through that again.

So the gun turned him on. Levi could live with that. He'd slowly been realizing a lot of thing turned him on...things most  _rational_  men would fear.

Levi couldn't bring himself to care anymore. It wasn't as if he was ever going to act on his desires. He rarely even allowed himself the luxury of fantasizing.

But...Levi couldn't help but feel like it had been Jaeger who had awakened this dark side of himself. That information created a bit of cognitive dissonance within his mind concerning the subject.

On one hand, he was livid. To think that  _that_ was where Levi mind now wondered when he wasn't busy occupying himself with his work. Levi's old fantasies about beautiful men lying under him in his bed were being slowly replaced by images of being teased, taunted, and toyed with. The more Levi denied himself, the worse his fantasies became. Levi was furious with Jaeger for triggering this nightmare and furious with himself for having the attractions in the first place.

On the other hand, the new sensations he felt left him breathless, alive. Levi had never felt the way he felt around the dangerous male. His adrenaline mixed with his fear to create the most intoxicating mixture of arousal he'd ever felt. It was a new form of pleasure he wished he could experience again, this time alongside sexual stimulation.

But Levi would never ask for it. He had no control over that side of himself and he feared what he'd allow to be done to him were he to be reduced to that state of mind.

Levi could only find comfort in the fact that he was only attracted to the gun and it's implications and not to the wielder.

At least, that was what he told himself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have something I need to say.  
> Reminder: This is not a love story.  
> These characters are being entirely raw when going through their inner thoughts. Levi sincerely wants to put Eren away. Eren sincerely only sees Levi as a pawn.
> 
> The theme of this story is Control.   
> Control over oneself (Levi) and control over others (Eren). This story is more than a lead up to some kinky smut. It's about the struggles and complexities of human relationships and interactions.  
> I want that to be appreciated.  
> There will be smut, yes, but the story isn't about the smut. It isn't even about a relationship. It's about Eren and Levi struggling as individuals against the allure of one another.
> 
> I'm working hard on this, it's very personal to me and I'm very passionate about it.


	5. Friend or Foe?

**[Eren]**

 

"I'm not a psychologist but I'd say this is infatuation." Armin stated from the couch as he watched Eren twirl his favorite knife in his hand while facing the board he'd made for his most recent obsession.

"Whatever it is, it's certainly not healthy." Jean scoffed from across the room. He was leaning against the doorframe, elevated from the ground which two staircases on each side, while watching Mikasa and Annie play cards.

"What do you know about healthy relationships?" Eren glanced upwards. He noticed Marco was sitting on the staircase as well and wondered when everyone had gotten there. He'd been alone the last time he'd checked.

Jean shrugged. "Not much but I know enough to know you're being fucking crazy."

Eren shrugged, going back to staring at the board.

"You're putting us all in danger by provoking him." Mikasa said, turning around to face Eren. Annie took a peek at her cards while she was distracted. "I won't hesitate to kill him if he gets too close."

"I've put precautions in place should that happen." Eren told her. "If I go down, I'll be the only one he can get his hands on. You'll all be safe."

"Are you really content with risking everything we've built just to play this stupid game with him?" Mikasa stood up. "All he did was arrest a couple guys and you're acting like he's important enough to deserve the attention you're giving to him. News flash, we aren't all fucking stupid, Eren! We know you're blowing this out of proportion."

"She's right." Armin interjected. "You're obsessing. You've never done this before. Not to this extent."

"He's a threat to us." Eren turned around and pointed his knife at the blond. "He's the best agent they've got and he was given  _our_ case. This is my way to keep tabs on his investigation. I've already been to his apartment, Armin, and he didn't touch me. The more familiar he becomes with me, the easier it'll be for me to destroy him."

"Why can't I just kill him?" Mikasa asked. "It'd be easy. I could kill him and we'd have nothing to worry about. You don't need to go to such great lengths to stop him, Eren. Stop lying to us and tell us what's really going through your head!"

Eren sighed and folding his arms over his chest, pressing the knife to his chin. "Fine," he sighed. "you win. I'm bored, Mikasa, and...he's just  _so_  entertaining."

"So you'll put all our lives at risk because you're bored?!" Jean snapped, moving forward to grab onto the railing above Eren's head. Marco stood up, sensing conflict, and walked up the stairs to stand by Jean.

Eren frowned. "Yes."

Jean gaped at him. "You know what? Fuck you, Jaeger!" He pushed past Marco to go down the steps.

Mikasa moved to Eren's side. Armin stayed on the couch, glancing over at Annie who watched with disinterest as Jean got up in Eren's face.

"I know you have trouble with feelings and shit but this is taking it too far!" Jean snapped. "We work our asses off for you and we follow your orders without question! We've been your greatest assets and  _your friends_ yet you're content with throwing us to the Survey Corps because you found a pretty little boy toy you want to play with! I can't fucking believe you!"

Eren pressed the knife to Jeans chest. "If you were really my friend you'd support me in this!" He growled.

"No," Jean slapped the knife away. Eren let him."Your friends are supposed to help you and keep you from pulling bullshit they  _know_ is problematic and dangerous! Friends are not the same as followers and you better make sure that distinction stays clear in your mind!"

"I could kill you for this." Eren's voice dropped an octave. "I'm still your leader and this is starting to sound like treason. A dog never questions his master, no matter how strong the pretense of being family is.  _You_  should kept  _that_  in mind."

Eren shoved Jean and stormed out of the Den with Armin at his heels.

"You should be careful, Eren." Armin warned him. "First you're making friends with our enemies. Now you're making enemies of your friends."

Eren slammed the door behind him to trap Armin on the other side. He walked swiftly through the bunker, glaring at anyone who dared make eye contact with him.

He made it to his office without having to speak to anyone and locked the door behind him. He sat down at his desk and turned on the monitor.

Levi Ackerman hadn't gone back home last night.

After leaving the detective's house Eren had stayed by the building, waiting patiently until he left like Eren knew he would. No agent in their right mind would stay in a home known by the enemy. Once Levi was gone Eren broke back into the apartment to set up the cameras and bugs he'd brought with him. He'd acquired them quite illegally from an inventor who worked on things years ahead of his time. He was know in the underworld for selling criminals technology that the government couldn't even dream of. Eren often took advantage of him to have the upper hand.

Eren had wanted a camera in every room besides the bathroom. Having the blind spot didn't bother Eren, he wanted to give the man  _some_  privacy and he was sure Levi wouldn't be doing his detective work in the bathroom.

Eren knew his friends were right. He  _was_  taking this too far but he couldn't bring himself to care. After years of building up his gang he finally had the city eating out of the palm of his hand and the only agency that bothered to investigate them was clueless.

Eren had heard people say that once you get everything you've ever wanted you realize how empty you are inside. When Eren was young he'd called bullshit on that but now that he was older he'd realized they hadn't been entirely wrong.

Eren wasn't necessarily empty but he was  _bored_. Agonizingly bored. He felt that if he didn't entertain himself soon he might turn to senseless violence to entertain himself and he didn't want that. Eren's every move was calculated and he refused to let his need to constantly stimulate his mind change him into a monster.

Eren still wasn't sure where the distinction between man and monster lay but he didn't feel as if he'd crossed that line yet, despite the blood on his hands.

Eren turned the monitor off and contemplated his next move. He'd given Ackerman something to think about for the next few days so he had time to come up with a flawless plan for what to do with him next.

Eren needed to get to know the detective on a more personal level if he planned to have the ability to accurately predict the man's moves. He needed to find out where Levi went when he wasn't working. What kind of pubs did he frequent? What restaurants does he like? Does he go to the gym? Where does he buy his groceries?

If Eren could procure a location the man frequented he could  _accidentally_ bump into him there and prompt a conversation outside of their work. He couldn't very well break into the man's home every other day with a new list of questions.

The meeting would also give Ackerman a false lead on Eren and force him to see the gang leader as human. Eren Jaeger caught out in the wild buying groceries like normal people do! That would make it easier for Eren to get Ackerman to relax around him as well. He wouldn't be leaving the detective alone any time soon so it'd be in the man's best interests to become accustomed to his presence.

Eren turned on the monitor and pulled out some paperwork to occupy himself with while he waited for the detective to get home.

* * *

It had been hours, Eren had lost count. All he knew was that he'd been waiting for the detective to come home since the early hours of the morning. It was now 7:00 in the evening.

Eren turned on the volume so he could hear what was going on as the front door was pushed open.

Detective Ackerman walked in with a person behind him. He didn't look happy.

"If you want to have dinner with me you can order delivery and eat here. Otherwise you can get out. Some of us take our work seriously, Shitty Glasses." Ackerman pocketed his keys and strode into the house, looking around as if to make sure Eren wasn't there. Eren chuckled at the sight.

"But Leeeeevi! You promised!" The person, whose name Eren had yet to hear, groaned.

"I did not promise anything. I simply didn't protest." Ackerman countered and sat down on his couch, satisfied with thinking the two were alone in the apartment.

"But with you that basically means yes!" The person said. "Can we at  _least_ go to the bar?"

Eren perked up. A bar, that was exactly the kind of place Eren had been hoping for. It wouldn't be hard for Ackerman to believe finding Eren in a bar was a coincidence. Eren might even be able to get him drunk! His mind filled with possibilities as he waited for the two to name the bar.

He paged a subordinate, preparing him to tail Ackerman's car.

"I slept  _all fucking day,_ Hanji!" Levi snapped. Ah, so his friend's name was Hanji. "I need to start working! I don't have time for your bullshit right now!"

"How long has it been since you last got laid?" Hanji asked, changing tactics. Begging hadn't worked so now they were using something Ackerman might want to get him to do what they wanted. It was a simple manipulation tactic, even people untrained in manipulation used it. Eren recognized it easily.

Apparently Ackerman did too. "Doesn't fucking matter, Hanji, I'm not going."

"But you're so tense!" Hanji cried, poking Ackerman's shoulders.

Ackerman shoved them off. "I don't need sex, I need Eren Jaeger behind bars."

Eren smirked.

"Ooooo~kinky!" Hanji laughed when Ackerman threw a shoe at their head. Eren was slightly shocked at how natural it seemed for Hanji to insinuate that Ackerman wanted to have sex with another man.

"That's not what I fucking meant." Ackerman spat. "I'm not into criminals, Hanji. Not everyone's a freak like you."

_I'm not into criminals._

Not,

_I'm not into men._

"Theeeeen prove it! Come to the bar with me!!! You're the only person I can go with!" Hanji pleaded.

"I'm starting to think it's  _you_ who needs to get laid, not me." Ackerman scoffed.

"Nooooo! You saw through my clever plan!" Hanji exclaimed.

Ackerman rolled his eyes. "Just go by yourself and do NOT bring some poor guy here for me. We both know what happened last time you pulled that shit."

Ah, so that confirms it. The bar they kept talking about must've been a gay bar and Ackerman must be gay, or at least bisexual like Eren himself. Eren smiled at the confirmation. Perhaps he could have more fun with the detective than he'd previously thought.

"I didn't know he was an ex-con!" Hanji shouted. "How was I supposed to know you'd arrested him?!"

Eren laughed, imagining a situation where this lunatic brought home some guy Ackerman had previously put away.

Ackerman sighed. "Just go, Hanji and...thanks for letting me crash at your place."

Hanji nodded and made their way towards the door. "Anytime! But you owe me dinner!"

They left and Ackerman sat alone on his couch. He immediately pulled out his gun and started disassembling it. Eren cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Need to get laid, huh." He muttered. "I'd prefer never to get laid again."

Eren could say he was sufficiently confused. He watched Ackerman put his gun back together and move to his bedroom. Eren switched cameras and watched him pull a cigar from the box in his jacket pocket and light it. He took a slow drag, staring at his wall of case files.

Eren watched him as he slowly put the gun to his lips. For a moment, Eren feared he planned to shoot himself but noticed that was not the case when Levi simply closed his eyes and sat there.

More confusion. Eren could not understand what the hell Ackerman was doing.

That was, until he noticed the slight bulge in the detective's pants. Eren's eyes widen, unable to believe his luck.

Ackerman moved the gun back down and placed it on the bed. He took another drag of the cigar and put his head in his hands and muttered a single expletive: "Fuck."

So not only was Levi Ackerman attracted to men, he was attracted to what Eren had done to him that night in the warehouse. Eren smirked, he'd unknowingly picked the perfect man to cure his boredom.

It was high time he upped his game.

 


	6. Bars, Booze, and the Italian Mafia

**[Levi]**   
  


Levi found himself at the bar the next evening. Another day without any leads had driven him to needing to find himself entirely wrecked. Not to mention that he'd almost  _almost_ masturbated the night before with the imagine of a green eyes criminal shoving his gun down his throat in his mind.

Levi missed his sanity.

"You look worse." Halt commented, already pouring Levi a drink without even needing to hear the man's order. "The Titan's case kicking your ass?"

Levi nodded and downed his glass. He regretted allowing Halt to overhear the discussion he'd had with Hanji last time but it couldn't be helped now. Levi was glad that he could at least trust that Halt would keep quiet about it.

"What's this about the Titan's case?" A familiar voice said from behind him.

Both Halt and Levi froze, Halt staring at the man behind Levi and Levi dreading turning around.

"No." he muttered. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Eren Jaeger sat down on the barstool next to Levi. "You don't seem pleased to see me." He smirked. "I'm hurt."

"You didn't follow me here." Levi states, still looking straight ahead. "How did you know I was here?"

"He doesn't frequent." Halt added. "May I get you something?"

"I'll just have a beer." Jaeger ordered.

"It's bad enough that I've agreed to chase you." Levi growled. "Do you really have to stalk me as well?"

"Can't I be here for any other reason?" Jaeger cocked his head to the side.

"No." I snapped. "There's no fucking reason you'd be in a gay bar other than to stalk me."

"Perhaps I'm in a gay bar because I'm gay." Jaeger teased.

Levi scoffed. "You're not gay."

_You are not allowed to be gay._

"Who says?" Jaeger laughed. "I think my opinion on the subject is the only one that matters."

Levi clenched his jaw. "So are you gay?"

Jaeger smiled. "I like hot people. Girls, guys, enbys, it doesn't make a difference."  
 **{A/N: Enby is a word used by the non-binary/genderqueer community as a replacement for 'boy' or 'girl'. It's a shortened version of non-binary-nb-enby. Not all non-binary people use this term though so always ask what words your nb pals are comfy with}**

"Wonderful." Levi muttered sarcastically. "What are you going to do now, get me fired?"

Halt narrowed his eyes but didn't speak knowing it wasn't his place to intervene.

"Get you fired?" Jaeger laughed. "That would end our game much to early, Detective. Plus, that's such a cheap move. You wouldn't catch me dead pulling cowardly shit like that. Not to mention that doing so would make me entirely hypocritical."

Levi shrugged and pushed his glass away to stand up. "Yes, I suppose it would. I'll be taking my leave now."

Levi hoped that if he left Jaeger would leave as well. Over the years Halt's bar had become a very personal place, a home where he could be himself. Having Jaeger intrude on that space left him feeling sick to his stomach and he just wanted to get him away from his friends.

However, Jaeger grabbed his sleeve and yanked him back. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Levi glared straight ahead, refusing to look back at the criminal. "And why not?"

"Because," Jaeger chuckled and Levi saw him hold something up. "If I press this button your precious Agency goes up in flames along with everyone inside. I'm assuming at least your boss will be there at this time of night?"

Levi whirled around. "You're bluffing."

"Am I? We can find out." His thumb inched closer to the button.

"No!" Levi shouted and Jaeger froze.

"No?"

"No. Don't." Levi exhaled shakily. He couldn't risk it. Jaeger was right, Erwin was bound to be working late and if Eren somehow had loaded the place with explosives then Levi refused to be responsible for allowing his friend to go out in such a way. "What...what the fuck do you want from me?"

Levi was certain that Jaeger was smirking. "Sit." He ordered. "Drink." He pocketed the remote, satisfied that Levi fully understood the position he was in. Halt had remained silent during the exchange, only moving now to pour Levi a new drink. Levi noticed him using the lightest beer he had and silently thanked the universe for Halt's quick thinking. The last thing he wanted was to lose his inhibitions around Jaeger.

Levi sat back down and started sipping his new drink.

"We'll do scotch next." Jaeger ordered, noticing.

"I don't want to be involved in this." Halt growled. "Feel free to raid my bar. I'll be in the back-"

"No, don't move." Jaeger snapped. "Do you think I'm an idiot? I'm not letting you out of my sight just so you can call the police or that colleague of Mr. Ackerman's who knows this place."

Levi sputtered. How the hell did he know about Hanji? How did he know anything?!

Halt sighed. "Whatever. Scotch it is."

"You seem eerily calm." Jaeger commented, studying Halt's features. "Do I know you?"

Halt poured two glasses of scotch and slid them over. "No." He deadpanned. "You don't."

Jaeger hummed silently, thinking, then grinned. "Ah! Mi ricordo di te. Ho conosciuto tuo marito, Alexander Voncürii, corretto?" He spoke in Italian. Levi raised an eyebrow, trying to use his knowledge of French, another Latin based language, to decipher what he'd said. He knew the name Alexander Voncürii, the man was the leader of the Italian Mafia but he had no idea why this related to Halt.

_*"I remember you. I met your husband, Alexander Voncurii, correct?"_

To his surprise, Halt responded in the same tongue while glaring pointedly at Jaeger. "Sì. Ma preferirei separare la mia vita commerciale e la vita privata." He glanced at Levi. _*"Yes, but I would prefer to separate my business life and private life."_

Jaeger nodded. "Certamente."

_*"Of course."_

Levi growled, unhappy at this turn of events and turned to face Jaeger to recapture his attention. "How did you plant a bomb at headquarters?"

Jaeger smirked and turned his attention away from Halt. "You remember my second in command, Armin? The boy who set up the lovely trap that allowed us to meet? He managed to do it while he was in your offices. You're boss is quite a trusting man or perhaps he just had a soft spot for the boy." Jaeger shrugged. "I wanted it for insurance, didn't plan to just blow you all up on a whim. Looks like my forward thinking came in handy."

"How did you even get technology like that?" Levi asked.

Jaeger took a sip of his drink and shrugged. "I know a guy."

Levi set his jaw and took a sip of his own scotch, relishing in the feeling of it burning its way down his throat. "So why are you keeping me here? If you think I'll spill info if you get me drunk you're severely mistaken."

"I'm not here to talk about work." Jaeger admitted and took a swig of his own drink.

Levi raised an eyebrow. "No? Just want company then? I suppose even gang leaders must get lonely sometimes."

Jaeger laughed and Levi looked away. The laugh was almost genuine and it felt strange to see the expression on Jaeger's face. He always seemed to have several angles he was playing, using flirting and calculating stares to play his prey. He wasn't one for  _laughing_.

"How about we do this. You'll answer some questions I have about you and I'll give you hints about our operation." Jaeger offered.

"Hints?" Levi shook his head. "I feel like we're playing a children's game, like hide and seek."

"Do I look like I'm hiding?" Jaeger asked seriously.

"No." Levi answered immediately. "But believe me, I  _am_  seeking. I've never lost a case."

"I know."

Levi sighed and noticed he'd finished off his first glass and Halt was pouring him another. It couldn't hurt to just answer a few of Jaeger's questions, especially if it got him ahead on the case. There didn't seem to be much left that the man didn't know about him anyways.

"Fine." He relented. "What do you want to know?"

Jaeger smirked, his calculating gaze back in place. Despite the implications of that, it set Levi at ease. If he could understand his enemy, he could beat him, but if Jaeger started showing sides to himself Levi couldn't understand he'd be in trouble.

"How many men have you slept with?"

Levi almost spit out his drink. He hadn't been expecting a question  _like that!_ He thought Jaeger would ask about his past or his detective work, not his sexual practices!

He side glanced at Halt who kept his head down, cleaning glasses and serving other customers.

"Why the fuck do you want to know that?" Levi growled.

"Do you want hints or not? Answer the question. Don't try to decipher my motives." Jaeger responded.

"I'm a detective." Levi grumbled. "Deciphering motives is what I do. But eight, if you must know." 

Jaeger looked him up and down. "I see. I've lost count of my partners. Now the hint..." Jaeger thought for a moment. "Our hideout is located somewhere within the south end of the city."

That was a huge hint. Levi's eyes widened at the information. He'd considered that Jaeger was lying to him, of course, but he'd been trained to be able to tell when people were lying and so far Jaeger hadn't lied to him  _once._

Now that Levi had a taste he wanted more info. "Ask me another question."

Jaeger smiled. "Why did you become a cop?"

"My mother was a prostitute." Levi began, his hands clenching into fists. "Time and time again she'd come home used and abused by her customers who'd broken deals or gone too far. Friends of hers were murdered and because she couldn't go to the cops, their killers walked. I swore that I'd never let men like that roam free in my city."

Jaeger nodded. "Makes sense. That also explains why justice is so personal to you." Levi nodded and waited. "Eren Jaeger is my real name. I was born in Germany and am not registered here."

"Why would you tell me that?" Levi asked, eyes wide. "I could arrest you just for that! Due to how sensitive this country is concerning Germans right now, it'd be a piece of cake to get you locked up."

"I trust you won't do that." Jaeger replied smugly. "Cheap moves are so below you. I want you to catch me for real and put me away for being a gang leader. Make me pay for everything I've done, not just a fraction of it. I believe you want that too. You're too prideful to pull a move like that. You won't lock me away for confessing to you either. It's not enough. You want to be praised for catching the notorious Eren Jaeger in the act, not given a pat on the back for catching an illegal immigrant."

Levi clenched his jaw.

_He's right._

Levi  _knew_ he was right but every logical fiber of his being was telling him it'd be better for his city and his sanity if he were to deal with Jaeger now. Whether it got him locked up or kicked out of the country didn't matter, as long as he was  _gone._

But Levi knew that he'd never be able to bring himself to do it. Jaeger had turned this into a game and Levi wasn't about to cheat.

_"How selfish of you."_

Levi growled as Jaeger's words from the previous night came back to him. He was right. He kept being right and it was pissing Levi off.

"Well?" Jaeger seemed all too relaxed for Levi's liking.

"Let's continue this at my apartment." Levi snapped irritably, suddenly feeling suffocated at the bar. He stood up and left, not bothering to see if Jaeger followed him. The lack of a bomb threat indicated that the man had agreed.

"Non dire alla polizia che sono venuto qui." Jaeger muttered to Halt before getting up.

_*"Do not tell the police I came here."_

"Non sono suicida." Halt shot back. He seemed very irritated. "Puoi contare sul mio silenzio."

_*"I'm not suicidal"    "You can count on my silence."_

Police. Suicidal. Silence.

Levi recognized the three words and interpreted the encounter as Jaeger threatening Halt to keep his mouth shut about everything that had happened there tonight.

"Buona. Sarò presto in contatto con il tuo marito presto. Preparatevi per questo." Jaeger said then left to follow Levi to his car. "I'll ride with you."

_*"Good. I will soon be in contact with your husband. Get ready for that."_

"Don't you need a way to get back?" Levi asked and climbed into his car. Jaeger sat shotgun and smirked at him.

"No." He said simply.

Irritated, Levi drove towards his apartment ignoring the fact that he shouldn't have been driving after having a few drinks. He didn't feel the affects of the alcohol too strongly yet so all he could do was hope he wasn't pulled over. He almost laughed, imagining the poor officer who would've found Agent Levi Ackerman slightly  _drunk_  in a car with  _Eren Jaeger._

Levi sighed. Perhaps the alcohol was affecting him more than he let on. He really shouldn't be doing this. He should've stayed at the bar where they were in public and they were safe.

He didn't believe Jaeger would kill him, the two had established that they wanted to play by the rules, but he had no idea what else Jaeger was capable of pulling once the two were alone.

Levi continued to drive anyways.

 _Fuck it._ He thought.  _If he's willing to give me information, I have to take this chance._

Levi pulled into the parking garage.

_Here goes nothing._

 


	7. Dangerous

**[Levi]**

Levi really should've recognized Lena's car in the parking garage but he'd been sufficiently distracted with the criminal standing within arms length at all times.

He'd shoved Jaeger back out into the hallway when he came face to face with his partner who had broken into his apartment.

"Lena," he greeted trying to steady his nerves. He'd been one step away from fucking himself over  _big time._ He couldn't even imagine how he'd explain his situation to her had she seen Jaeger. "What are you doing here?"

"Why do you look so fucking startled?" Lena snapped. Levi cleared his expression.

"It's not everyday I come home and find myself face to face with you. You're lucky my first instinct wasn't to shoot!" Levi growled and stepped inside, slamming the door in Jaeger's face.

Lena sighed and sat down on his couch. "Yes, I suppose I shouldn't have startled you but you weren't answering my calls."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Did something happen?" His mind flickered back to Jaeger and his bomb.

"Yes." Lena sighed, irritably. "While you are out-" Lena assessed Levi's appearance. "-drinking I was actually doing my damn job. I caught one of them. A Titan."

Levi glanced at his door. "Come with me." He said and grabbed Lena's wrist to drag her into his bedroom. He shut the door behind them. "Now tell me everything."

Lena explained how she'd been out with Hanji and Moblit looking over the Reaper's most recent crime scene when they'd heard gunshots from an abandoned hotel across the road.

"We recognized the Titan's signature right away, a gunshot to the head, neck broken postmortem, and a cut to the nape of it." Lena explained. "I caught sight of the shooter, shot his legs and dragged his sorry ass back to HQ. Despite the fact that you've been a complete jerk, I know how important this case is to you so I thought you'd want to be there to question him. We get him back from the hospital tomorrow so be at work."

Levi nodded slowly. "Do we know who it is?"

"Yeah, ID'd him as Jean Kirschtein. A higher up." Lena responded.

"Thank you, Lena." Levi told her genuinely.

"Yeah, well, thank me by including me in your work." Lena said and left the bedroom. "See you tomorrow, Levi."

Levi panicked when she opened the front door but relaxed when Jaeger didn't appear to be in the hallway. As soon as the door closed Levi sunk down onto the couch and put his head in his hands.

"Idiot." A voice said from behind him. He'd suspected that Jaeger had snuck in while he'd been talking to Lena so he wasn't surprised to turn around and find him standing by the closet he'd probably been hiding in.

"You heard?" Levi asked, severely regretting his decision to bring Jaeger home.

"Yes, I heard." Jaeger looked angry. "That fucking dumbass. Don't get your hopes up, he doesn't know anything of value. He's sloppy, I should've killed him when I had the chance."

"Don't talk about murdering your subordinates in front of me." Levi growled.

"Why?" Jaeger snapped. "You know I kill people. There's no reason to try and hide that fact from yourself...unless you're falling for me." Jaeger seemed to add that last part as an afterthought.

Levi narrowed his eyes. "Tch, dream on. Just go."

"Go?" Jaeger cocked his head to the side. "Why would I leave? We weren't finished."

Levi sighed and stood up, in desperate need of a cigarette. "I just assumed you'd have business to take care of."

"My underlings can take care of it." Jaeger said and followed Levi to the kitchen. He held out his hand and Levi handed him a cigarette before lighting them both. "They're quite capable."

Levi didn't like the way Jaeger said "take care of it."

"Now...where were we." Jaeger murmured and started walking towards Levi's bedroom.

"We can talk in the living room." Levi stated stubbornly. Jaeger just laughed and kept walking. Eventually Levi relented, not wanting to leave Jaeger alone for too long.

He found Jaeger sitting on his bed, legs crossed and leaning against the wall. "Shame you don't have a headboard. You don't even have posts." He muttered when Levi entered the room. "How are you supposed to tie someone up on here?"

Levi wanted desperately to ignore the comment but something about Jaeger seemed to pull arguments from him. "I don't normally tie people up in my bedroom although I'm not surprised that you're into that."

"I think you'd be into it too." Jaeger blew a puff of smoke towards Levi. "Maybe we should try it."

"No." Levi snapped and shrugged his blazer off, folding it and setting it on his dresser. His shoes were next and he felt extremely uncomfortable letting Jaeger watch him. "Your next question?"

Jaeger smirked from the bed. "What exactly  _are_  you into?"

Levi placed his shoes by the door and leaned against the wall opposite to Jaeger. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

Jaeger sat up. "I'd like to make it my business."

"Well, too bad. I'm not interested in the likes of  _you."_ Levi snarled. "Pick a different question."

"Something to hide?" Jaeger asked, moving gracefully off of the bed.

"Don't come towards me." Levi warned.

Jaeger ignored him. "Bomb, remember? I can do whatever I want." He pulled out the remote and snuck it in his pants. Levi glared at him knowing he had two options, he could either leave the remote with Jaeger or stick his hand down his pants to get it. Either way Jaeger won.

Jaeger stopped in front of him and blew smoke into his face. Levi hissed, his own cigarette forgotten at his side. Jaeger touched Levi's gun and his breath hitched. He dropped the cigarette to grab Jaeger's wrist, unwilling to let the man get his hands on his firearm  _again._

"Answer the question I gave to you." Jaeger ordered, not bothering to remove his wrist from Levi's painful grip. "Or I'm leaving."

Levi set his jaw. "I'm an ass man." He answered. "Like a bit of biting too. Nothing interesting." He hadn't lied so he hoped that fact would be enough to conceal from Jaeger that he wasn't telling him everything.

Jaeger smirked and tore his wrist from Levi's grip. "I happen to know there's a lot more you aren't telling me, detective." He purred and took a drag of his cigarette before putting it out against the skin of Levi's neck.

Levi hadn't been expecting it so he hadn't had time to stop it from happening. His eyes had widened slightly and his legs suddenly felt too weak to support him. He didn't dare move or show any signs that the action had affected him. He wasn't even sure  _how_ it had affected him.

Why did this brat always make him feel so damn weak?

"There's not." Levi snapped, his voice surprisingly steady. "That's the truth. I'm not into hardcore stuff."

Jaeger chuckled, his face much too close to Levi's for comfort. "Could've fooled me."

Levi finally managed to regain his wits and he shoved Jaeger away, giving himself room to breathe. "Believe whatever you want. Doesn't make it true."

"Would it make you more comfortable if I told you what I was into?" Jaeger asked.

"I have no desire to know that." Levi growled and almost meant it.

Jaeger was back on him in a second, slamming him roughly against the wall with a hand on his chest and a knee between Levi's thighs. "I like it rough." Eren began and Levi struggled to regain the breath that had just been knocked out of him. "I like to hurt people,  _Levi_." Levi shuddered at the use of his first name. " _Really_  hurt them. I want my partner to scream beneath me as they take whatever I choose to dish out. I want to put a gun to their head, a knife to their throat, and hear them beg me to have my way with them. I like to tie my partner up, leaving them helpless as I  _use_  their body for my pleasure. I want to leave my partners scarred, beaten, bruised, bloody and unable to even consider ever having sex with anyone other than me. I like to claim their mind, body, and soul and leave them barely breathing yet completely satisfied."

Levi couldn't suppress his shiver. His mind registered everything Jaeger was saying as  _dangerous_  but the heat pooling in his groin didn't seem to care. He didn't know when he'd closed his eyes but a pair of lips brushing against his ear seemed to alert him of the loss of one of his senses.

"And you know what I think, Levi?" Jaeger chuckled and palmed Levi's growing erection through his slacks. "I think you'd like that too."

Levi couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He was barely processing what was going on. All he knew was that he wanted to be touched,  _needed_ to be touched. He let out a moan as Jaeger continued to rub him through his slacks.

"I wonder if I can make you cum like this." Jaeger muttered. "Just by my hand and the images of what I could do to you."

A voice in the back of Levi's mind was begging him to see sense but he wouldn't listen. He was too far gone. He hadn't been touched like this in months, no, he had  _never_  been touched  _like this._

He felt a weight disappear from his side and opened his eyes to see Jaeger once again holding his gun. "No," he sputtered half heartedly. "Not again."

Jaeger smirked and pressed the gun over Levi's heart. "Not again? Are you sure?"

Levi glared up into Jaeger's eyes, seeing a terrifying calmness in them. Jaeger could kill him and wouldn't think twice about it, he knew that, but if he did he'd lose his new toy. That's what Levi was to him, he realized, a new toy. Someone to play with when Jaeger got bored.

_That look in his eyes..._

Levi groaned out again as Jaeger unbuttoned his pants and pulled his erection free.

_When he wants to shoot me..._

Jaeger shot him a cocky smile and moved the gun up to his temple. Levi leaned against it.

_Really makes me feel..._

"I really could kill you, you know. A part of me tells me I should." Jaeger told him, increasing the speed of his hand as he jerked Levi off. "You're really getting off on this, huh?" Jaeger laughed. "A gun to your head and all you can think about is being fucked. Disgusting."

Levi moaned and Jaeger switched tactics, trading his hand for his hips and he ground his own clothed erection against Levi's. Levi saw him move the remote back to his pocket so he wouldn't accidentally set the bomb off by grinding himself against Levi.

"Y-you're...getting off on this...t-too, you bastard." Levi managed to choke out.

Jaeger smirked and slammed his hips roughly against Levi's causing him to cry out. "You're right." He shoved the gun into Levi's mouth, receiving no resistance. "I am."

Levi was panting now, unable to think through the assault on his hips. Images of what Jaeger had done to him in the past and could do to him in the future flew through his mind. He imagined Jaeger's mouth on him, not kissing but biting. He imagined his hands on him, not caressing but bruising. He imagined himself bound at the criminal's feet, entirely at his mercy.

Levi bit down on the barrel of the gun and came with a stuttering cry.

Eren immediately pulled away and removed the gun from Levi's mouth. He threw it on the ground and stepped back, adjusting his clothing.

"I'll make sure you find a full page of insider information on your desk tomorrow." He said. "You've certainly earned it. Till next time, detective."

Levi could only breathe heavily as he watched Jaeger leave. Once he heard his front door shut he slid down the wall and stared up blankly at the ceiling.

_What have I done?_


	8. Bomb

**[Levi]**

Levi strode into the Agency hungover but determined to keep himself distracted. He refused to give what had happened the previous night even a second of his thoughts.

After Jaeger had left he'd drunk himself stupid until he passed out. The only reason he woke up this morning was due to his obnoxious alarm.

He had two objectives today, one: find the bomb and two: interrogate Jean Kirschtein. Since Lena didn't appear to be around Levi decided to go with the first objective.

He slammed open the door to Erwin's office which caused the man the spill coffee all over himself. He cursed and glared up at Levi as he shut the door.

"What the hell, Levi?" He snapped, using a handkerchief to clean himself off.

"There's a bomb in the building." Levi said, getting straight to the point.

"What?!" Erwin's eyes widen and he stood up. "Where? How?"

"I don't know." Levi answered. "I heard some of the Titans talking about it."  _Don't think about last night._ "Apparently that Armin Arlert kid planted it while he was here. Did you ever leave him alone for even a  _second_?"

Erwin left the office and grabbed the nearest employee. "Evacuate the building. Now. Everyone. Don't make a big show of it."

Levi recognized the agent as Mike. The man nodded and ran into the offices.

Erwin turned back to Levi. "There's only one place it could be."

Levi nodded. "Yes? Where?"

"Here." Erwin shifted. "In my office."

Levi's eyes widened. He'd faced bomb threats before so he was no stranger to the feeling of dread clutching his heart. He'd never gotten used to it.

"We have to find it." He said and Erwin nodded.

"You start looking, I'll phone the bomb squad." Erwin took hold of his phone and Levi scanned the office.

He could imagine Erwin sitting on top of his desk, looming over the boy who sat across from him. There was a file cabinet within reach that Armin could've put the bomb in but surely Erwin would've discovered it by now if that were the case. Levi checked anyways.

"Yes, we think we've got a bomb in my office. We're searching for it now. I've ordered the building to be evacuated. Yes. Alright, thank you." Erwin hung up. "They're on their way."

"Did they tell us not to look for it?" Levi asked.

"Yep." Erwin responded and began feeling around the underside of his desk.

"We listening to them?"

"Nope."

Levi nodded and checked under the chair across from Erwin's desk. "I can't believe you were so careless."

Erwin shrugged, feeling around the window. "I knew the boy wouldn't dare attack me. I assumed he was the intelligent type, not the bomb expert type."

"I'm sure he's both." Levi groaned. "But still, it was stupid of you to leave him alone. Especially in your office! What made you leave?"

"He was handcuffed to the chair!" Erwin protested.  "We had a hostage situation. One of the secretaries got a call from the Italian Mafia who'd apparently gotten their hands on Oluo. I had to negotiate his release."

"The Italian Mafia's been pretty quiet since the war. Why wasn't I informed about this?" Levi questioned.

Erwin sighed. "I handled it easily enough. I didn't think it was necessary to inform you."

"A former member of my special ops squad gets kidnapped and you don't feel the need to inform me?" Levi snapped.

"We disbanded special ops." Erwin argued.

"But they'll always be  _my_  men." Levi hissed.

Erwin sighed. "I know, Levi. I apologize but is that really what's important right now?"

Levi shook his head. "No, you're right. We need to focus." He ruffled through the bookshelf. "Didn't you check him for weapons?"

"We did." Erwin nodded. "But the guard who was on duty that day hasn't been seen since. Considering this situation, I can guess what happened to him."

"So either he was a spy or was threatened." Levi surmised. "And is either hiding, back with them, or dead."

"Exactly." Erwin sighed. "Are you sure you're intel was correct? I don't know where else he could've put it."

Levi paused.

_"You're bluffing."_

_"Am I? We can find out."_

"I..." Levi ran a hand through his hair. "It could've been false information but I was so sure..."

Levi heard footsteps and the bomb squad opened the doors.

"I thought I told you two to get out of here." The leader says, glaring at Erwin as he squad descended upon the office. "Did you find it?"

"No," Erwin sighed. "We didn't."

The squad leader nodded and motioned to the door. "You need to leave now so we can do our job. Make sure everyone stays a safe distance away from the building."

Levi and Erwin nodded and left the building. Levi managed to grab an envelope off of his desk before leaving, noticing it was new. It must've been the information Jaeger had promised him. He decided to worry about how he'd gotten it there later.

Levi slipped the envelope into his blazer pocket and kept walking.

_Not thinking about it._

**[Eren]**

Eren stood over the railing in the Den peering down at all of his most trusted higher ups. The group consisted of Mikasa and Armin, his second in commands, Marco, Sasha, Connie, Ymir, Christa, Annie, Bertolt, and Reiner.

"So," Eren began. "I've gathered you all here to discuss what we're going to do about Jean's capture."

"We've been planning a rescue since last night." Armin informed him.

Ah, last night. Eren remembered every detail about last night. He remembered holding his detective against the wall and making his cum just with his hands. He remembered jerking himself off once he'd gotten back to his office and wishing he could've done more with Ackerman. Eren had no idea when he'd get an opportunity to take him apart like that again.

"A rescue?" Eren nodded, considering it. "If you can come up with a perfect plan I'll consider a rescue. But we have to remember that Jean has valuable information including, but not limited to, the location of our base, most of our contacts, and all of our names. Even yours, Historia."

The blonde flinched at the use of her birth name. Ymir wrapped an arm around her.

"Jean can hold out." Marco stated confidently. "Even if they torture him he won't sell us out."

"He did seem pretty pissed at Eren a couple days ago." Annie interjected calmly. "I doubt he'd sell  _us_  out but he's always been a hot head, he might use this as an opportunity to fuck Eren over."

"If we lose Eren the entire operation crumbles!" Mikasa argued. "Jean knows that. He might be stupid but he isn't  _that_ stupid."

"What do you propose we do if we don't rescue him?" Reiner asked.

"You all know we have a bomb in the building." Eren told them. "We could blow the place up once we're sure Jean is inside."

Everyone was silent. They'd contemplated moves like this before. Everyone had pledged their lives to the gang knowing that they could be killed at any time to protect sensitive information. They'd even gone as far as to carry around suicide pills.

"You can't kill him." Marco spoke, tears filling his eyes. "Please..."

Eren weighed his options. He didn't want to kill Jean and he certainly didn't want to blow the Survey Corps to hell. He knew Ackerman would be in the building and would be killed along with Jean should Eren decide to go with that option.

Eren frowned. He'd made so much progress with the man too. It would be a shame to lose him now.

"You better come up with a damn good rescue plan then." Eren snapped and walked down to sit with Armin. "We've got an hour before I take drastic measures."  
 ****

**[Levi]**

The bomb squad cleared out, going to speak to Erwin and Levi first. "We found the bomb and disarmed it. We also double checked the rest of the building. It's safe now." The squad leader informed them.

"Where was it?" Levi asked.

"Under the damn floor boards." The man replied. "Whoever put it there was an efficient little shit."

Erwin thanked him for his work and Levi moved away to where Lena was guarding Jean. She'd arrived half and hour ago with him.

"Secured." Levi informed her.

"How'd you know about the bomb?" She asked.

Jean's eyes widened when he saw Levi. "It's you! You're the guy!"

Both agents turned to him. "What do you mean, 'I'm the guy'?" Levi asked.

Jean closed his mouth. "Nothing. Forget I said anything."

Lena narrowed her eyes but turned back to Levi. "Anyways, the bomb? You haven't had time to investigate out in the field."

Jean scoffed. "I bet Jaeger told you, didn't he? Dumbass, always showing off."

Lena raised an eyebrow. "Why would Jaeger be in contact with us?"

Levi felt uncomfortable. He didn't know how much Jean knew. Did Jean know about the deal? About Jaeger stalking him? About...

_Last night?_

NOT THINKING ABOUT LAST NIGHT!

Levi exhaled and Erwin gave the order that everyone could go back inside. Lena pushed Jean's wheelchair forward and Levi fell in step beside her. He wished he could get Jean alone in the interrogation room and find out what he knew before he told Lena too much.

They got there swiftly and Lena handcuffed Jean to the table. She sat down across from him. Levi neglected his chair, opting instead to lean against the one sided window.

"So," Lena began. "I'll ask again. Why are you under the impression that Jaeger is in contact with us?"

"Not you." Jean sneered. "Him. You're Detective Ackerman right?"

Levi nodded.

"He's fucking obsessed with you." Jean spat.

Lena raised an eyebrow and turned towards Levi.

"First I'm hearing of this." He shrugged. He could see the gears turning in Lena's head as she carefully thought over everything Levi had ever done concerning Eren Jaeger.

Eventually she turned back around. "Could you specify what you mean by 'obsessed'?"

Jean thought the question over then, assuming he knew this information couldn't severely damage his gang, decided to share. "Eren's got a billboard up of all your cases." He began. "He's always thinking about what to do with you next. I don't know whether he wants to fuck you or kill you, probably both if we're being honest, but he's never locked on to another human being like this before."

"Fuck me?" Levi made a disgusted sound.

_Don't think about it._

"When did this obsession start?" Lena asked, making notes. She probably thought she could use Levi to lure Jaeger into some kind of trap. Levi knew if she asked him to do that, he couldn't give her a reasonable excuse not to but if he did it all of his dirty little secrets were sure to be revealed.

And he knew how much Lena  _loved_ dirty little secrets.

"Started after you two rounded up some of his lower ranking members." Jean said. "When he saw that you'd never lost a case he locked onto Mr. Ackerman over there. No idea why he didn't go for you too."

Lena hummed. "Yes, that is strange. I'm assuming your boss is a homosexual then?"

Jean frowned, probably realizing he'd said too much. "Uh...no."

"You said he wanted to fuck Detective Ackerman." Lena said.

Jean rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I don't know the boss' preferences."

_I do._

Levi crossed his arms over his chest. "Can we get back to what's actually important, Arkenhive?"

Lena nodded. "Right, fine, but this discussion isn't over." She gave Levi a pointed look. "Now, Mr. Kirschtein, if Detective Ackerman were to initiate contact with Mr. Jaeger, would he accept?"

Jean shrugged. "Don't know. No one knows what goes through that man's head."

Lena nodded. "Alright. Now, let's move on. If you tell us everything you know about the Titans we can see about getting you less time."

Jean closed his mouth and clenched his fists. "I'm not telling you shit."

Levi sighed. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this."

Lena didn't look too broken up about it. "I'll go get the paperwork in order. Rough him up a bit while I'm gone, Levi. Get him ready for me."

Lena left and Levi glared down at the criminal. "Because we're a secret agency separate from the police we have license to torture in extreme cases." He explained. "Lena's our best torturer."

"The girl?" Jean scoffed. "Please, your agency must really be weak if your best torturer is that bitch."

"You better watch your mouth." Levi growled. "Before you lose your tongue."

"I can't talk without a tongue." Jean replied smugly.

Levi smirked. "We'll teach your dumb ass sign language." He pulled out his baton. "This won't be fun for you."

 


	9. Caged

**[Levi]**

It had been an hour and Kirschtein had managed to keep his mouth shut. Lena didn't seem concerned, it's usually took about two or three hours for people trained to resist torture to start talking. Levi had left the room halfway through to sit on the other side of the one sided window. He respected Lena's abilities and he was certainly not squeamish but the sort of aura Lena tended to put out when she got in her zone was extremely unsettling. It felt like Levi was in the room with something that was no longer human.

Levi kept worrying that at any moment a Titan would break in and either kill or rescue Kirschtein. He knew that Jaeger knew Jean had been captured but he couldn't tell Lena that without revealing himself.

Levi thought about the previous night. He couldn't help himself now that he was finally alone with his thoughts. He supposed he had to address it sooner or later. He just wished he could choose to deal with it later...for the remainder of his life.

Eren Jaeger had touched him. He'd spoken to him with threats and promises and made him cum. Levi couldn't deny that. It had happened and Levi knew how pointless it would be to dwell on the past. He had to focus on the future, he had to focus on how he was going to make sure nothing like that ever happened again.

He thought back to what Jean had said about Jaeger being obsessed with him. He'd known Jaeger had taken an interest in him (now he knew that it wasn't entirely a professional interest) but he hadn't thought he was so obsessed that his subordinates were concerned for his sanity.

_"I don't know whether he wants to fuck your or kill you, probably both if we're being honest,"_

Levi sighed. He knew now that Jaeger's advances were more than a joke, more than a tactic to make Levi uncomfortable. He definitely wanted Levi, he could feel it last night. The desire emanating from the man couldn't have been faked.

But kill him? Jaeger kept saying that he  _should_  kill Levi but he'd never said he  _wanted_  to. Levi wondered if Jaeger would take pleasure in disposing of him once he was done with him. Would he shoot him in the head and snap his neck without a second thought? Would he slit the nape of his neck without consideration for the amount of times he could've touched him there under very different circumstances? Would he leave Levi's body for some stranger to find and never think about him again?

_"He's never locked on to another human being like this before."_

Levi was starting to feel concerned. If Jaeger's obsession with him was as unstable as Jean seemed to imply it was, would he ever break the rules of the game? Levi wondered if Jaeger had it in him to kidnap Levi and keep him all for himself. Levi truly didn't know. He didn't know Jaeger at all. He thought he'd had the man mostly figured out but this new information rattled him.

Not to mention that after Lena got what she wanted out of Jean she'd turn to Levi for answers. She knew he was hiding something, they'd been partners for two years and knew each other inside and out. Levi knew he wouldn't be able to hide this from her for much longer.

He wondered how she'd take it. Lena was always one for bluntness and Levi knew he was more likely to get a good reaction out of her if he was honest with her the first time she asked.

He had no idea how to explain the situation in a way that made sense. How could he tell her that he'd made a deal with Jaeger to catch him on the conditions that it was a fair chase? How could he explain that he had ways to get Jaeger off the streets but wasn't using them due to his arrogance and desire to play fair?

People's lives were at risk and Levi had allowed Jaeger to turn the world into their own personal chess board. It was sick and Levi was disgusted with himself for allowing himself to be pulled into it. Unfortunately, his disgust was severely overpowered by his desire  _to win._

Erwin opened the door and walked into to sit by Levi. "Anything?"

Levi shook his head. "Not yet. She's been going easy on him."

Erwin nodded. "Yes, I told her to."

"She broke his wrist and seven fingers."

"Yes, well, I suppose Lena and I have different definitions of  _going easy on someone."_

Levi looked at the gash in Kirschtein's side. "Yeah...just be glad she isn't pulling off fingernails."

"Yes...well, I have business to attend to. Tell Lena to take a break, this must be as difficult on her as it is on him."

I snickered. "I'm not so sure that's the case, boss."

"You're relieved." Erwin reiterated. "We'll let the boy rest up today, think things over. You two should get some rest too. You've done enough for today and that's an order."

Levi sighed but nodded an acknowledgment. He left the room behind Erwin to enter the interrogation room.

"You're done." He said and Lena turned to face him. For a second, he could've sworn her eyes were red but quickly dismissed it when the grey color returned to them.

"Done?" Lena snapped. "I've barely started!"

"Erwin says we're done. We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow." Levi told her sternly, seeing the bloodlust in her eyes. It was moments like these when he wondered if he truly did know his partner. Sometimes, she seemed almost as dark and twisted as the men they fought. When the Agency needed someone morally grey, they called Lena.

Lena nodded and gathered up her tools. "Fine. I'll go home to shower then I'll meet you at your apartment." She snapped leaving no room for discussion.

The second Lena was gone Levi stalked over to Jean. "Eren Jaeger's obsession with me...what else do you know?"

Jean smiled in a daze and spit blood on the floor. "I know he's left the base more in the past few weeks than he has in the past month. I know he's playing a game with you, challenging you to catch him. He'd addicted to you. I don't know how you got to him or what you offer his life but he seems more alive now than he's been in years."

"Can I control him? Can I use my influence over him in any way?"

Jean laughed then groaned in pain. "No, Mr. Ackerman. When it comes down to it, Jaeger's selfish. He can only care about himself and getting what he wants. No matter what he says or what he does, once you cease being useful to him you're as good as dead."

Levi pretended the words didn't affect him as he unlocked the handcuffs holding Jean to the table and wheeled him down to his holding cell.

"Detective," Jean called out as Levi locked the cell door. "if Jaeger doesn't coerce you into rescuing me he might try to coerce you into killing me. Be prepared for that."

"Why would he come to me?" Levi growled. "I'm not going to betray the Agency much less damage my own case. Despite what he may have told you, I'm not wrapped around his finger, Mr. Kirschtein."

Again, Jean laughed. "That's the beauty of it." He said. "An animal doesn't see a trap until it snaps. You won't know how bad he's got you until you're under his boot with a gun to your head; content with dying for him. He's done it to all of us. He'll do it to you too."

Levi left without another word. He knew, he  _knew_ what Jaeger was. He knew that Jean was telling the truth but a part of him didn't want to believe it. He wanted to believe he had as much control over Jaeger as Jaeger had over him. He wanted to believe that he couldn't be manipulated by him, that he couldn't be coerced into adjusting his morals for him.

_Last night told a different story._

Jaeger had gotten to Levi. He'd gotten to him in the most intimate and dangerous way. Levi had shown weakness and Jaeger had pounced on it.

Levi gathered up his things and started the short dive home, still very aware of the envelope pressing against his chest.

He'd been given information as payment for what he'd allowed Jaeger to do the night before like he was a prostitute. Levi had nothing against sex workers, but being compensated for what had happened left a bad taste in his mouth.

Jaeger hadn't even gotten off. Was it enough for him to tear Levi's resolve to shreds? Was that all he needed?

Levi pulled into the parking garage and made his way up the stairs to his apartment. He never took the elevator, he didn't trust it.

He found Lena waiting for him on the couch and set his briefcase down. "Alright. What?"

"You know what I'm going to ask." Lena replied coolly.

Levi sighed and sat down on a chair across from his partner. "Fine, yes, I've have been in contact with Eren Jaeger since that night at the warehouse."

* * *

**[Eren]**

Eren raised an eyebrow. "Confessing to his partner, eh? I never thought I'd see the day..."

He was currently lounging in his office and watching the feed of Ackerman's apartment. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to see but this certainly wasn't it.

He'd sent his men out, led by Armin and Mikasa, to retrieve Jean twenty minutes ago. He was glad to see Ackerman wouldn't be there for the event. He didn't want to break his new toy, not yet.

Arkenhive nodded, a clear message for Ackerman to continue.

"When he captured me...he challenged me." Ackerman continued. "He challenged me to catch him. The night I called you to tell you my apartment was compromised was the first night he'd broken into my apartment."

_So he's really telling her everything..._

"We talked. He made some bullshit comment about how I didn't kill people out of cowardice instead of a regard for human life." Ackerman spoke smoothly, his face never portraying his emotions. Eren couldn't tell what he was thinking, right now he was just stating facts, not telling anyone how he felt about the ordeal.

"He's a prick." Lena interjected. "You do care for people, I've seen it. Not wanting to take life is not a weakness nor is it cowardice. It doesn't matter what your reasons are."

"You take life..." Ackerman said, looking up into his partner's eyes. "You  _torture_ people. It's never bothered you."

"I'm different." Lena told him, her voice hardening. "You can be saved. I've already been damned."

Eren understood the feeling.

Ackerman nodded, accepting his partner's word. Eren could safely assume they'd discussed that topic before. "Fine, I'm not here to judge you for what you've done. Anyways, Jaeger kept following me. He showed up at this...bar I frequent. He threatened me with the bomb, that's how I knew it was there."

Eren frowned. He'd expected Ackerman to scramble to get rid of the bomb but he'd been hoping to hold it over the man's head for at least a couple more days.

Lena nodded. "I see. So you two just...meet up occasionally, have a few drinks, give each other a good threat, then go back to trying to kill each other?"

Ackerman thought for a moment. "I suppose that's what happening, yeah. It's...like a game. There's rules. I have to catch him fairly, no cheap tricks. He can confess to me without fear of consequence and I won't put him away for anything less than what he deserves to be put away for."

"Are there any rules regulating what he does to you?" Lena asked.

Ackerman frowned. "No. Fuck, there's not. Of fucking course there's not." He put his head in his hands and Eren smirked. He wished he could see the man's expression, the exasperation of realizing Eren had the freedom to do what he wanted with him, had made Ackerman allow  _him_  to make the rules, to control the pace. "There's an unspoken rule that he won't kill me and that he won't pull cheap tricks either." Ackerman continued. "But I gave him the reins. I gave him control without even realizing it!"

Lena nodded. "So what you're saying is that you've turned our investigation of the Titans into a one-on-one match of wits? Instead of doing your job you're going to abide by this criminal's rules? Is that what you're telling me right now?"

Ackerman sighed. "Yes." He shook his head. "Yes, that's what I'm telling you. I've fucked up, Lena, I  _know_ I've fucked up but I can't stop myself. I have to see this through to the end."

"And if somebody dies because of this? If you die?" Lena questioned.

Ackerman shrugged. "Then I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life...or I'll die."

Lena ran her hand through her hair, messing up her already messy bun. "Whatever." She snapped. "If that's how it is."

"That's how it is."

"I won't tell Erwin." Lena stood up. "But if this kills you...expect to hear an 'I told you so' when I meet you in the afterlife."

Ackerman chuckled. "I would expect nothing less, partner. Thank you."

Lena hummed and left Ackerman's apartment. Eren tapped his pen against his chin as he switched the cameras to follow the detective into his bedroom. Eren expected Ackerman to change and get into bed but was surprised when all he did was shed his jacket and shoes and sit down on the edge of his bed.

In his hand was the envelope. Eren smiled, remembering the circumstances that had constituted giving Ackerman the information. Compensating him for his  _services_ had been an intentional move on Eren's part. It would cause Ackerman feelings of frustration and remind him that he didn't just get a hand job from his enemy, he'd been  _used_  by his enemy for pleasure and left behind like he was nothing. He received payment as if he was a common whore and was nothing other than something Eren could use for sex.

Eren wanted to work up to collaring the man. It sent a jolt of pleasure up his spine to think of Ackerman in a collar. Certainly, he wouldn't accept it at first but Eren could be very persuasive. He imagined Ackerman going about his daily life plagued by the reminder that he'd been claimed by Eren.

Eren wanted so desperately to own Levi completely. It was torture to have to slow himself down and go at the man's pace. The only thing keeping him calm was the knowledge that he had the power and the skills to make Levi his.

His little detective could resist him all he wanted but at the end of the day, in the confines of his bedroom, Levi would admit to himself what he really wanted and Eren would watch his confessions.

And Eren would wait.


	10. Keep It In Check

**Levi**

"He's gone?!" Levi slammed his hand down on Erwin's desk. "How did you let this happen?!"

Erwin sighed. He'd preemptively put down his coffee when he'd seen Levi stalking towards his office. He was glad he had because the tone of the man's voice seemed to jar him almost as much as the door slamming the day before had.

"They broke in last night. We lost five agents and they got away with the prisoner." Erwin told him. "I'm sorry, Levi. They were too much for us to handle."

"If you had let Lena and I continue yesterday then maybe we'd have something to show for all of this! But you didn't and we don't so those men lost their lives for  _nothing_!" Levi shouted.

"I couldn't have predicted this." Erwin argued.

"You should have!" Levi snapped. "We  _knew_  they'd come for him if he had valuable information. Anyone could've predicted this!"

Erwin ran a hand through his hair. "Get out of my office, Agent. I am fully aware of everything we've just lost. I don't need you guilt tripping me. What's done is done."

Levi balled his fists but left Erwin's office anyways, seething. He grabbed his briefcase from his desk and left the offices without a word.

It was eleven in the morning. Levi never went day drinking, not outside the comfort of his own home, but he was out of his stash of alcohol so he drove towards Halt's bar after dropping his briefcase off at Hanji's apartment.

He knocked aggressively on the door until Halt unlocked it, looking like he'd just woken up. "What, Levi, we're closed."

"I need a drink and a comfortable atmosphere." Levi said. "Please."

Halt moved aside and let him in. "Fine, sure. Grab what you want from the bar then you can come upstairs. You can use my office if ya want." Halt lived on the floor above his bar.

Levi nodded. "Thank you, Halt." He grabbed a bottle of whiskey from behind the bar and followed the man upstairs. The two went into the kitchen and found a naked man standing there making toast.

The man turned around and smiled. The light hitting his black hair gave it a bluish tint. Levi scolded himself for admiring the man's body. He was certainly attractive but clearly was here for Halt.

"You can stare." The man smirked. "Who's this, love?" He addressed the question to Halt.

"This is my friend, Detective Ackerman." Halt said, looking exasperated. "Please put on some clothes, Zex. He's busy and he doesn't need you distracting him."

Zex winked at Levi and abandoned his toast, grabbing Halt's hand as he brushed past. "I'll promise not to distract him if you promise to distract me."

Halt swallowed and nodded, only beginning to breathe again once Zex had left the kitchen. "Boyfriend?" Levi asked and walked over to make himself a cup of coffee. "Guess that explains why we haven't fucked in so long."

Halt laughed. "Unofficial husband of five years, actually." He admitted. "We have an open relationship."

Levi's mind wandered back to the man's body. "Does that mean having a threesome is a possibility?"

"Please don't give him any ideas." Halt begged. "Aren't you busy dealing with this Jaeger business?"

Levi sighed. "Yeah, well, doesn't mean I can't let loose every once in a while."

Halt shrugged. "Guess I'll leave the option open then. Good luck with your work." And with that he left, presumably to entertain his husband in their bedroom.

Levi finished making his coffee and locked himself in Halt's office. Halt was always very organized so he didn't have to move much to clear himself a space to work at. He poured some whiskey into his coffee and pulled out the envelope. He'd stared at the thing for about a half hour last night before deciding to wait to open it.

He cautiously cut open the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper. It was littered in bullet points, each of a name and a location with the header: People Associated.

So this was a list of people who had done dealings or were in some way associated with the Titans but weren't actually members.

This could be huge. An entire page full of witnesses Levi could question. People who've seen the outer workings and possibly even the inner workings of the gang.

It was almost like Jaeger  _wanted_  to be caught.

_"Cheap moves are so below you. I want you to catch me for real and put me away for being a gang leader. Make me pay for everything I've done, not just a fraction of it."_

Jaeger's words came rushing back to Levi. Could he really  _want_  to be caught? He had phrased it like he  _expected_  Levi to win and Levi supposed that if Jaeger never killed him, he eventually would.

But why would the man who owns the city want to be taken down from his throne?

Was this Eren's way of reconciliation? Was he feeling guilty for all that he'd done?

That didn't seem like him...

People play games to win. Levi couldn't fathom why Eren would initiate such a game then expect to lose. It didn't make sense in his head.

Was he really  _that_  cocky? Did he honestly think he could evade Levi even after giving him all this information?

Levi drank his coffee and spun around in the office chair so he could look out over the city from Halt's window.

_"An animal doesn't see a trap until it snaps."_

Perhaps this game was just a front, a cover up, for something much more sinister Jaeger was planning.

Perhaps Jaeger wasn't afraid of capture because he knew he'd have Levi caged and tamed before he got too close.

Jaeger could've been using himself as both the bait and the trap. Risking everything on the assumption that he could control Levi.

Levi didn't know if that was an accurate assumption but anything was possible at this point. He couldn't rule anything out.

Jaeger had already gotten in his head. Now all Levi had to do was keep him from getting into his heart.

That shouldn't be hard. The more Levi learned about Jaeger, the more he despised him.

* * *

**Eren**

"She really did a number on you." Eren muttered, poking Jean's bandages.

"I didn't say shit." Jean spat. "So don't worry."

Eren cocked his head to the side, feigning confusion. "I wasn't worried."

Jean scoffed and Marco burst into the infirmary, rushing to Jean's side with tears streaming down his face. "Oh thank god, Jean! You're alright!"

"Ish." Jean muttered.

"Eren wouldn't let me go, I was so worried!" Marco gushed and began kissing every part of Jean that wasn't injured. "I love you so much!"

Jean turned to Eren and gave him a nod as a thank you for not allowing Marco to put himself in danger. "Seems you have a heart after all, boss."

Eren smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about." He slapped Jean's thigh eliciting a grunt of pain. "Rest up, we'll be needing you soon."

Jean nodded and Eren left the infirmary so the boy's could gush over each other. The heart was such an obvious weakness and one so easily manipulated. Eren hated that most of his men's loyalties were based on love. It was useful when that love was directed towards him, not so much when it was overpowered by love for each other.

Eren ignored the part of his brain that told him to kill Marco because he was useless, a liability, and a distraction for Jean. Eren was used to his first instinct being violence, murder, and betrayal. He'd learned how to control those thoughts and impulses over time.

Eren found himself in the Den and walked over to his board. He added a copy of the list he'd given Ackerman to it.

"We almost lost Jean, you know." A voice said from the couch.

Eren turned around to face Armin. "Yes, I'm aware of that. But we  _didn't_."

"But we could have." Armin's voice was steady. He only spoke to Eren like this when he had a point to make, a point that would inevitably irritate Eren to no end.

"What are you getting at?" Eren asked. "Do you want me to feel guilty? Jean getting captured was his own goddamn fault. It had nothing to do with my preoccupation with Detective Ackerman. Oooo, checkmate, Eren look at this thing that happened as a result of nothing you did!"

Armin frowned. "I'm serious, Eren. I'm not talking about Detective Ackerman. I'm talking about the way you've started treating  _us_."

"I'm not treating you any differently." Eren argued.

"You're solution for Jean getting captured was the blow up the Agency and  _kill him."_ Armin argued. "I put that bomb in there so you'd have a way to  _protect us_ not so you could have some last minute resort should any of us get captured. Jean's blood would've been on  _my_ hands."

"Had we made that decision his blood would've been on all of our hands." Eren said. "I still don't see your point."

"We are not your pawns, Eren, we're your friends!" Armin snapped abruptly. Eren's eyes widened slightly at the blond's outburst. "I don't care if you don't actually  _feel_  anything for us. I know you can't help it but  _please_  just try to be kinder and more considerate. If you must think of it tactically, recognize that if you had killed Jean half of us would've left you."

Armin left the Den. Eren stood frozen in front of his board.

Half of them...would've left?

Eren couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let something like this shake his  _friends_  loyalty to him. He had to fix this before it got out of hand.

But how?

Eren sat down on the couch and thought. Armin was probably right...he had gone too far with the bomb. Killing his subordinates shouldn't be an easy decision and it certainly shouldn't have been Eren's first solution to the problem.

"Keep it in check." He muttered to himself. He'd let Ackerman distract him too much. His control over his own mind was slipping. He needed to turn his focus to himself and the gang for a few days to fix what he'd broken, to rebuild the trust that he was loosing.

He could check on Jean everyday, maybe get him a gift. Then he could work, go out in the field and solidify deals. He still had the deal to complete with the Italian Mafia. He'd gotten word that Alexander Voncürii had entered the city last night. He could set up a meeting.

If his friends saw him working instead of doting over Detective Ackerman than maybe their faith in him would be restored.

Eren smiled, satisfied with his plan, and left the Den to go work in his office. He dialed the number for the gay bar Halt owned, deciding he was the best person to contact for this meeting.

He was surprised to hear Ackerman's voice through the phone. "Hello? We're closed today, sorry. Who is this?"

Eren kept silent, wondering what to do. If he spoke Ackerman would recognize him and then question why he was calling the bar. Eren wasn't in the mood to out the entire Italian Mafia to an agent. They had the capability to burn his operation to the ground overnight.

He was about to hang up when he heard shuffling and a new voice spoke over the phone. "Who is this? Why aren't you speaking?"

Relieved that he wasn't speaking to Ackerman anymore Eren placed his feet up on his desk. "I'm looking for Halt, the owner. Who is this?"

"This is his  _partner_. I can take a message."

Business partner? No, romantic partner. Eren must be taking to Alexander Voncürii.

"Sto parlando al marito di Halt?" I spoke in Italian.

_["Am I talking to Halt's husband?"]_

"Sì, chi sei? Come fai a sapere mio marito e io?" Voncürii responded smoothly.

_["Yes, who are you? How do you know my husband and I?"]_

"Dammit, why does everyone know fucking Italian?" Ackerman muttered somewhere in the distance.

"We  _are_ Italian." Halt chided.

"Mi chiamo Eren Jaeger. Vorrei parlare con te su una possibile collaborazione, signor Voncürii." Eren smiled pleasantly to keep his tone level.

_["My name is Eren Jaeger. I would like to talk to you about a possible collaboration, Mr Voncürii."]_

"Io vedo. Sì, Halt mi ha detto di aspettare la tua chiamata. Venite al bar stasera alle otto." Voncürii ordered.

_["I see. Yes, Halt told me to wait for your call. Come to the bar tonight at eight o'clock."]_

"Il detective-"

"Il detective sarà andato prima di allora." Voncürii interrupted. "Ci vediamo stasera, signor Jaeger."

_["The detective will be gone before then." // "See you tonight, Mr. Jaeger."]_

The man hung up and Jaeger leaned back in his chair. Everything was going well so far.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if my Italian is shitty. I'm literally just using google translate. lol


	11. Enemies With Benefits

**Levi**

Levi was suspicious after hearing 'detective' but left Halt and Zex alone after seeing the look Zex gave his husband. Whatever the phone call was about was none of Levi's business. They could've been talking about any detective. It didn't have to be him.

Levi had been on his way out when he'd picked up the phone and waved goodbye to Halt and Zex as he left the bar.

Levi checked the address by the first name and drove off towards it. The events of the past few days kept playing over in Levi's mind.

Just a few weeks ago he'd been chasing a pretty standard serial killer with his partner by his side. Now he was chasing the Titans, had forced himself to work alone, almost slept with the enemy, saved the Agency from a bomb threat, captured a Titan, lost a Titan, had gone through several packs of cigars and cigs and had drunken more alcohol in a day then is recommended for a week.

Levi's stress levels were astronomical. His whole body ached at the lack of nutrients and proper sleep.

Yet he'd still failed to make any progress. Levi's vision started to blur and he changed directions, heading back to his apartment. He needed sleep or he was going to pass out on the road. His place was closer than Hanji's so he'd have to risk crashing there.

He made it inside without any problems and changed into sleepwear. He placed his gun on his nightstand and collapsed into bed.

He hadn't put the gun to his lips since that night. He hadn't needed to. Levi almost fooled himself into thinking he'd sedated his dark desires but he knew they'd come back. He could already feel it.

He craved pain and fear like an addiction. He was already an alcoholic and clearly he was hooked on nicotine. He really didn't need another addiction to cause him to spiral into the pit of self destruction.

Levi groaned and turned over in his bed.

 _Sleep._ He begged himself.  _Just fucking sleep._

And sleep he did.

* * *

Levi woke up alert. His instincts were telling him someone was in his room. He grabbed his gun and sat up to see Jaeger leaning against his wall.

"I thought I was rid of you." He snapped. "Watching me sleep? Are you fucking serious?"

"I've only been here a few minutes." Jaeger argued. "And you'll never be rid of me. I was curious as to why you haven't been questioning the people on the list I gave you."

Levi's eyes darkened at the mention of the list as he was again reminded of how he acquired it. "My body needs rest. It was becoming persistent."

"Your body needs other things too." Jaeger told him suggestively.

"Get out of my apartment." Levi snapped. "Or I'm dragging your ass to the cops and arresting your for breaking and entering."

Jaeger shook his head. "Ah, ah, ah, that goes against our only rule. Play fair."

"So playing fair is allowing you to just break in whenever you like?" Levi growled. "Yeah, that seems really fucking fair to me. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"You could always make me a key."

" _Fuck_  you."

Jaeger laughed. Levi glared, his right hand clutching his gun.

"Just...why are you here?" Levi asked after a minute of the two simply staring at each other.

"I wanted to see you."

"Bullshit." Levi put his gun into his drawer. The last thing he needed was for the damn thing to be within Jaeger's reach.

"Fine, I'll rephrase." Jaeger smirked. "I wanted  _you_."

"Not gonna happen." Levi stood up, aware that he looked slightly inferior to Jaeger as he was only wearing pajamas while the brunette was dressed in a full suit. "You don't have a bomb to threaten me with this time. I trust you know your way out by now."

"You didn't do it because of the bomb." Jaeger said seriously.

Levi knew he was right but fuck him if he thought Levi was going to admit it.

"Five agents died during your rescue." He said instead. He needed to derail the conversation and bringing up the attack on the Agency seemed to be the best way to do it.

Jaeger was silent, probably contemplating how to respond. Levi knew he didn't care for the lives he took but if he said as much he certainly wouldn't be getting what he came for. Levi wasn't sure what he expected the brunette to say but he assumed he'd try to use it somehow to mess with Levi. Maybe question his morals again.

"So?" Jaeger's voice was suddenly much too calm. His teasing tone had been replaced by one of pure apathy.

It frustrated Levi. "So?!" He snapped. "They were people!"

"Not my people."

Levi's jaw dropped in disbelief at how  _honest_ Jaeger was being about how little he cared.

"If your agency broke into my hideout to rescue, let's say Lena, and killed some of my guys I wouldn't expect you to mourn them." Jaeger continued. "They weren't your people. In the same way, you can't expect me to care about  _your_  people. For the shit you put Jean through, I'd say they had it coming."

Levi was silent. Again, Jaeger was right. If five Titans were killed right now Levi wouldn't mourn. He'd be respectful, at least, but he wouldn't be able to force himself to feel for them. If he'd been the one to kill them it'd be a different story but if he hadn't pulled the trigger he doubted he'd feel broken up about it for more than a day.

But there was a difference, Levi's people were innocent. Eren's were not.

"Your Agency isn't  _only_  good. My gang isn't  _only_  evil." Jaeger persisted, taking Levi's silence as an invitation to continue. "We're more alike than you think. Try remembering that we're human beings, only trying to defend our own. Had you been in my position, you would have done the same."

Jaeger's clarity on the situation unnerved Levi. It was easier for him to think of the world as black and white. Jaeger's gang killed his friends, his coworkers, so that made him evil.

But that simply wasn't true. Levi was ignoring the fact that one of Jaeger's guys had been captured and tortured and the casualties were collateral damage for a  _rescue._

In the eyes of the law, Jaeger's side was in the wrong. Levi's side was in the right. But objectively, Jaeger had a point. In the same position, Levi would have done the same thing.

"I hate when you make sense." Levi scowled.

Jaeger hummed. "Yes, that's what happens when you don't allow petty emotions to cloud your judgement."

"Can you not be a condescending asshole for one fucking second?" Levi growled.

"No," Jaeger's teasing grin was back in place. "Not when it's so clearly your type."

Levi sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "What happened...last time...it's not going to happen again."

Jaeger looked as if he was pouting. "But, Detective, who else will be able to satisfy your deepest darkest desires?"

"I'm not just some toy you can just proposition for sex whenever you want. I'm trying to lock you away for fucks sake!" Levi growled.

"And I find that very alluring~" Jaeger purred. "I assure you this will be mutually beneficial."

"But I don't want to fuck you."

"But you do." Jaeger pushed himself off the wall and came to stand directly in front of Levi.

Levi scoffed and turned away. Jaeger smirked when he avoided making eye contact. "So you want to be like...enemies with benefits?"

"That would be lovely." Jaeger smiled but didn't attempt to move closer.

Levi scoffed. "Who do you think I am?"

"I think you're the detective with repressed masochistic tendencies who needs someone like me to bend him over and remind him of his place." Jaeger claimed shamelessly. "I think you have a very strong sense of duty, you want to do your job and do it right but based off of your behavior reguarding me so far I can safely assume your desire for what I can give you overrides that. I'm quite flattered, honestly."

Levi took a step back so he wouldn't lose control. The power Jaeger already had over him simply with  _words_ was terrifying. Levi didn't know how he did it, he didn't know when it had started. All he knew was that now his thoughts were dominated solely by the man in front of him. He hadn't thought about anything else for days and he knew that alone was a victory for Jaeger.

Levi didn't  _feel_  like he was under the man's control until times like this when Jaeger revealed just how much control he actually had, how much Levi had unwittingly given him.

Again, Levi reminded himself of Jean's cautionary words:  _"You won't know how bad he's got you until you're under his boot with a gun to your head; content with dying for him. He's done it to all of us. He'll do it to you too."_

"Do you just assume you'll be able to play everyone you meet and get anything you want?" Levi smirked when he saw a flash of surprise cross Jaeger's features.

He collected himself quickly. "I do." He answered and took a step back to give Levi his space as if he sensed that the man was feeling caged and was about to lash out.

"You won't be able to do that to me." Levi assured him.

Jaeger frowned and Levi could almost believe he looked genuinely offended. "I don't manipulate people into sleeping with me."

"Could've fooled me." Levi said, throwing Jaeger's words back in his face.

"I won't force you into anything." Jaeger stressed. "I need you to want me. I take satisfaction in breaking down your resolve."

"The thrill of the chase." Levi assessed.

"And the thrill of the  _kill_." Jaeger added. "You won't be able to resist me forever."

"Watch me."

Jaeger smirked then looked down at his watch. "Oh, believe me, detective. I'm  _always_  watching. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend. Goodnight."

Levi stood stiff until Jaeger was once again out of his apartment. The second the door shut the back of Levi's knees hit the side of his bed and he allowed himself to fall back onto it. He felt like he hadn't been able to breathe properly throughout the entire exchange.

_He has too much power._

Levi needed to pull himself together. The game had changed, now it was a race to see who would get to the other first. Would Levi catch Jaeger first and put him behind bars or would Jaeger break Levi's resolve and finally tighten the noose he'd been fashioning around Levi's throat?

Levi wanted to say with absolute certainty that he'd never let Eren Jaeger get to him again but after the events of tonight he couldn't bring himself to believe it.

Levi had never been so hyper focused on a case or a person in his life. His emotions, which were normally easy to control, had been throwing him around like he was in a damn pinball machine.

_I need to get some control back._

Levi needed to clear his head of lust. He needed to focus on his task and separate the Eren Jaeger as a criminal from the Eren Jaeger he'd come to know. If he could separate the case from his complicated emotions he'd have a much higher chance of success.

Levi pulled out his gun and began disassembling it.

_Don't let him in your head._

Levi took a deep breath. "Time to investigate."


	12. A Deal's a Deal

**Eren**

Eren sat in the sitting room of Halt's home across from Halt himself and his husband, Alexander Voncürii, head of the Italian Mafia.

"What brings you to the states?" He asked, adjusting himself so his body language portrayed confidence and ease.

Voncürii smiled. "Conducting business in Italy at this time would prove to be quite difficult, not to mention ineffective." He explained. "I know that your homeland is in a similar state."

Eren nodded. "Yes, well, we did lose the war."

Voncürii hummed in agreement. "Yes. Thank god for that."

Eren smiled and smoothed out the sleeves of his suit jacket. "Now, down to business, I'm assuming you're curious as to why I've called a meeting?"

"No, you called this meeting so you could beg us not to crush your silly little gang." Voncürii's smile didn't reach his eyes.

Eren paused for a moment. He hadn't been prepared for Voncürii to say outright what he'd been thinking. Eren had assumed they'd dance around the subject, making a business deal that would imply a partnership and therefore guarantee the Titan's safely.

"I simply want to make sure we don't get in each other's way." Eren replied cooly while keeping his nerves in check. "I have no desire to have conflict with you."

Voncürii nodded and slung an arm around Halt who immediately melted into his touch. "I see. Lucky for you I don't want any conflict either. We're trying to lay low for now. Though I am considering coming out of the shadows since you've got the Agency so thoroughly occupied."

Eren spread his hands. "My city is your city. So we have an understanding?"

Voncürii thought for a moment before agreeing. "Yes, we have an understanding. Keep the Agency occupied and I'll keep out of your business."

Eren stood up and held out his hand. "We have a deal then."

Voncürii stood up and shook his hand. "Yes, see you around, Mr. Jaeger. Oh, and-" Voncürii's grip tightened to the point were it was painful. "-don't you dare threaten my husband again. I'll slit your throat if you even look at him."

Gulping, Eren nodded his understanding and let go of Voncürii's hand. "Of course. Addio."

"Addio."

Eren felt the man's eyes on him until he was safely sitting back in his car. Eren normally didn't drive himself but he'd wanted this meeting to be had in secret. He didn't need his guys worrying about the Italian Mafia running around their city. Eren could only hope they wouldn't run into each other on the streets.

The drive back to base was eventless, Eren switched cars twice before making it to his side of the city. Hiding his car in the woods he walked into the abandoned hotel and took the hidden elevator underground.

He pulled a set of car keys out of his pocket and made his way to the infirmary. A new car should be a sufficient gift for Jean, he thought.

He found Marco asleep with his head resting on Jean's lap while the latter was quietly reading.

"How do you feel?" Eren asked and sat down opposite to Marco's sleeping form.

Jean put his book down. "I feel fucking fantastic. It's not like I was tortured or anything." He fixed his glare on Eren.

_Ah, so he's still mad._

"It was Arkenhive, right?"

"The girl was your boyfriend's partner."  Eren cringed at the term  _boyfriend._ Ackerman was nothing of the sort and if that's what everyone thought then he needed to correct them.

"So yes, it was Arkenhive." Eren surmised, ignoring the comment for now. He was supposed to be reconciling, not starting another fight. "I've seen her work before. You got off easy."

Jean rolled his eyes. "Doesn't make it hurt less."

"That's true." Eren held up the keys. "I got you something, to make up for threatening you the other day. You were right, I have been being a shitty friend. I'm going to do better."

Jean's eyes widened a bit and he snatched the keys. "Dude, you got me a car?! No shit! Tell me this baby goes fast!"

"It's a 1945 MG TC Midget." Eren told him proudly.

"I fucking love you!" Jean smiled and Marco opened his eyes.

"Wha-"

"I'm glad you're happy. Rest up." Eren smiled and left. He heard Jean begin explaining the car to Marco who knew next to nothing about automobiles.

Eren ran into Armin in the hallway. "Eren! I was looking for you!"

That wasn't a good sign. "Why? What happened?"

"You know of The Reaper, right?" Armin asked and began leading Eren in  the direction of his office.

"The serial killer? Yes." Eren narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"She's  _here_." Armin stopped in front of Eren's office. "She demanded we find you."

"Who the hell let her down here?!" Eren snapped.

Armin shook his head. "No one, boss. She found us on her own."

Eren shoved Armin aside and pushed into his office. There he found The Reaper sitting at his desk with Gunther Schultz, one of Eren's new recruits, kneeling at her feet with a knife pressed to his throat.

"What's the meaning of this?" Eren barked.

He had to admit, The Reaper was an intimidating figure in person. She had long, unnaturally white hair which reached down below her shoulders. She was well built but paler than any human being Eren had ever seen. Her eyes looked purple in the dim lighting of the office and seemed to bore into Eren's skull, reading his deepest thoughts.

Eren wasn't a fan of serial killers, while he understood their bloodlust and respected their creativity he could never get on board with the needless and ceaseless killing. He was not happy that she was here and threatening one of his men.

"This man is a spy." The Reaper said and threw a badge and Agency ID card onto the desk. "I've exposed him to show my good graces."

Eren picked up the items to make sure they were indeed real. When he concluded they were he glared down at Gunther. "What have you told them?"

"Nothing yet." The Reaper interrupted, pulling back on the man's hair. "His first report would've been given tonight."

Eren nodded and shifted his attention back to the woman. "Why are you doing this?"

"To show my good graces and so you know I mean business." The Reaper informed him and carefully slit the man's throat. The cut ran deep, insuring that Gunther would bleed out within minutes.

"Did you have to do that in my office?" Eren whined, ignoring the pained sounds coming from the dying man.

"Like I said," The Reaper sat back and smirked. "I mean business. I've noticed you have engaged with Levi Ackerman and his partner, Lena Arkenhive."

"Yes." Eren nodded, unsure of how The Reaper knew so much but unable to find it within himself to care.

"I've come to make sure you don't go near her."

Eren furrowed his brows in confusion. "Her?"

The Reaper nodded and began cleaning her knife as the body below her finally stilled. "Lena Arkenhive. You are not to go near her. You are not to touch her. Don't even consider breathing the same air as her. Do you understand? You can do whatever you like with her pathetic partner, but do not drag her into this."

"I see you've staked your claim on her." Eren smirked but found his confidence wavering under The Reaper's intense stare.

"Oh, you have no idea." She smirked and stood up. "If you swear to me not to go near her then I'll take my leave."

Eren nodded. He didn't see any harm in promising not to hurt Lena. She wasn't his target and she frightened him anyways. Knowing that she was also under The Reaper's protection made her entirely untouchable.

"I won't bother her." Eren promised and The Reaper nodded.

"Good. Au revoir, then, Eren Jaeger." She swept out of the room gracefully, startling Armin on her way out.

Eren sighed and motioned Armin inside. "Get me a clean up team." He pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Gunther's head. "Quickly. It's staining my carpet."

Armin gulped and ran back down the hallway to do as instructed. Eren fired a bullet into the man's head. He pulled his gloves on tighter and propped the body up so he could break it's neck. Eren used his foot, hearing the familiar snap, and pulled out his knife to finish the job by cutting the nape of the neck.

Armin returned with the clean up team who immediately set to work. "Where do you want him, boss?"

"Dump it outside the Agency." Eren instructed. "We'll use this to send a message, don't fuck with the Titans."

The men nodded and bagged the body before taking it away. Half of the team stayed behind to clean up the blood. Eren gathered up some of his papers and left his office so he could go finish his work in the Den.

* * *

 

**Levi**

"Gunther Schultz is dead."

Levi almost dropped the phone, his palm digging into the side of his kitchen counter. "How?"

"He was found outside the Agency last night. It was the Titans. They must've found out he was a spy." Erwin explained.

Levi slammed his fist down on the counter. "Dammit!"

"I'm assuming you'll want to examine him?" Erwin's voice was soft.

Levi pulled himself together. "Yes, right, of course. I'm on my way."

"We'll be in the morgue. They've just started the autopsy." Erwin informed him and Levi hung up.

Levi breathed deeply, gripping the counter so hard his knuckles turned white. Gunther had been a part of his special ops squad and had been a good friend. He'd wanted to be a cop since he was five and his hunger for justice only grew stronger during the war. He'd become an agent a year after Levi had and Levi had shown him the ropes when he'd been hired.

Levi stormed out of the apartment and drove to the Agency. Once inside he found Erwin, Lena, the medical examiners, Hanji, and the remainder of the special ops squad, Petra, Eld, and Oulo waiting for him in the morgue.

"Tell me what happened." Levi demanded, keeping his eyes off of the face of his deceased friend. 

"He's been shot in the head. His neck is broken and the nape slit which would confirm this as a Titan killing. However, all of that was done to the body postmortem." The medical examiner explained. "What killed him was this." The doctor pointed to a sewn up cut to the throat. "It was quite clean and deep. Whoever did this was no armature. They didn't have the skills of a doctor, but close enough. We've seen similar cuts from the victims of The Reaper."

"So who was it?" Levi snapped. "The Titans or the Reaper?"

"Maybe both." Lena scoffed. Everyone glared at her.

"Seeing as his...body was practically left on our doorstep that would indicate the Titan's involvement." Eld put forward. "The Reaper does have a tendency to play around with her victims but she never uses them to make a statement like this. This was aggressive, The Reaper's messages are more playful."

Lena nodded. "Yes, I agree. That wouldn't be like her. Plus she's already sent a message concerning her response to Levi and I abandoning her case. She'd have no motive for something like this."

"It had to be the Titans then." Levi concluded. "It's not exactly rare for their victims to be killed in other ways before being marked."

Everyone nodded.

"I think Levi's correct." Erwin spoke up. "I think the Titans are sending us a message. This was a warning. They don't want us investigating."

Everyone turned to look at Levi. "What?" Levi frowned. "Do you think I'm going to back out now? Someone has to avenge him."

"I expected you to say that." Erwin sighed. "But please do take caution, Levi. You can't let your guard down for a second around these people."

Levi nodded. "I know."

_I know all too well._

Erwin walked over and patted Levi's shoulder before turning to leave. "I must inform his family."

"Drinks at my place tonight." Eld suggested. "Special ops only. We'll pour one out for 'im."

Levi agreed to meet the others there and left the morgue. He locked himself in the conference room and put his head in his hands.

If he had followed his instincts and locked Jaeger away before, he could've avoided this.

Gunther's blood was on his hands.


End file.
